,,the ,,path ,,to ,,rome  ,by ,hilaire  
,belloc   '444 ,,amore ,,antiqui        
,,ritus1 ,,alto ,,sub ,,numine ,,romae' 
,,praise ,,of ,,this ,,book  ,to every  
honest reader that may purchase1 hire1  
or receive this book1 and to the        
reviewers also 7to whom it is of triple 
profit71 greeting--and whatever else can
 be had for nothing4  ,if you should ask
 how this book came to be written1 it   
was in this way4 ,one day as ,i was     
wandering over the world ,i came upon   
the valley where ,i was born1 and       
stopping there a moment to speak with   
them all--when ,i had argued politics   
with the grocer1 and played the great   
lord with the notary-public1 and had all
 but made the carpenter a ,christian by 
force of rhetoric--what should ,i note  
7after so many years7 but the old       
tumble-down and gaping church1 that ,i  
love more than mother-church herself1   
all scraped1 white1 rebuilt1 noble1 and 
new1 as though it had been finished     
yesterday4 ,knowing very well that such 

a change had not come from the skinflint
 populace1 but was the work of some just
 artist who knew how grand an ornament  
was this shrine 7built there before our 
people stormed ,jerusalem71 ,i entered1 
and there saw that all within was as    
new1 accurate1 and excellent as the     
outer part2 and this pleased me as much 
as though a fortune had been left to us 
all2 for one's native place is the shell
 of one's soul1 and one's church is the 
kernel of that nut4  ,moreover1 saying  
my prayers there1 ,i noticed behind the 
high altar a statue of ,our ,lady1 so   
extraordinary and so different from all 
,i had ever seen before1 so much the    
spirit of my valley1 that ,i was quite  
taken out of myself and vowed a vow     
there to go to ,rome on ,pilgrimage and 
see all ,europe which the ,christian    
,faith has saved2 and ,i said1 ',i will 
start from the place where ,i served in 
arms for my sins2 ,i will walk all the  
way and take advantage of no wheeled    
thing2 ,i will sleep rough and cover    

thirty miles a day1 and ,i will hear    
,mass every morning2 and ,i will be     
present at high ,mass in ,st ,peter's on
 the ,feast of ,st ,peter and ,st       
,paul4'  ,then ,i went out of the church
 still having that ,statue in my mind1  
and ,i walked again farther into the    
world1 away from my native valley1 and  
so ended some months after in a place   
whence ,i could fulfil my vow2 and ,i   
started as you shall hear4 ,all my other
 vows ,i broke one by one4 ,for a faggot
 must be broken every stick singly4 ,but
 the strict vow ,i kept1 for ,i entered 
,rome on foot that year in time1 and ,i 
heard high ,mass on the ,feast of the   
,apostles1 as many can testify--to wit3 
,monsignor this1 and ,chamberlain the   
other1 and the ,bishop of               
so-and-so--o--polis in partibus         
infidelium2 for we were all there       
together4  ,and why 7you will say7 is   
all this put by itself in what          
,anglo-,saxons call a ,foreword1 but    
gentlemen a ,preface8 ,why1 it is       

because ,i have noticed that no book can
 appear without some such thing tied on 
before it2 and as it is folly to neglect
 the fashion1 be certain that ,i read   
some eight or nine thousand of them to  
be sure of how they were written and to 
be safe from generalizing on too frail a
 basis4  ,and having read them and      
discovered first1 that it was the custom
 of my contemporaries to belaud         
themselves in this prolegomenaical      
ritual 7some saying in a few words that 
they supplied a want1 others boasting in
 a hundred that they were too grand to  
do any such thing1 but most of them     
baritoning their apologies and chanting 
their excuses till one knew that their  
pride was toppling over7--since1 ,i say1
 it seemed a necessity to extol one's   
work1 ,i wrote simply on the lintel of  
my diary1 ,praise of this ,book1 so as  
to end the matter at a blow4 ,but       
whether there will be praise or blame ,i
 really cannot tell1 for ,i am riding my
 pen on the snaffle1 and it has a mouth 

of iron4  ,now there is another thing   
book writers do in their ,prefaces1     
which is to introduce a mass of         
nincompoops of whom no one ever heard1  
and to say 'my thanks are due to such   
and such' all in a litany1 as though any
 one cared a farthing for the rats6 ,if 
,i omit this believe me it is but on    
account of the multitude and splendour  
of those who have attended at the       
production of this volume4 ,for the     
stories in it are copied straight from  
the best authors of the ,renaissance1   
the music was written by the masters of 
the eighteenth century1 the ,latin is   
,erasmus' own2 indeed1 there is scarcely
 a word that is mine4 ,i must also      
mention the ,nine ,muses1 the ,three    
,graces2 ,bacchus1 the ,maenads1 the    
,panthers1 the ,fauns2 and ,i owe very  
hearty thanks to ,apollo4  ,yet again1  
,i see that writers are for ever anxious
 of their style1 thinking 7not saying7--
  ',true1 ,i used and which on page #dg1
 but ,martha ,brown the stylist gave me 

leave2' or3  ',what if ,i do end a      
sentence with a preposition8 ,i always  
follow the rules of ,mr ,twist in his   
',tis ,thus ',twas ,spoke1 ,odd's ,body 
an' ,i do not6'  ,now this is a         
pusillanimity of theirs 7the book       
writers7 that they think style power1   
and yet never say as much in their      
,prefaces4 ,come1 let me do so444 ,where
 are you8 ,let me marshal you1 my       
regiments of words6  ,rabelais6 ,master 
of all happy men6 ,are you sleeping     
there pressed into desecrated earth     
under the doss-house of the ,rue ,st    
,paul1 or do you not rather drink cool  
wine in some elysian ,chinon looking on 
the ,vienne where it rises in ,paradise8
 ,are you sleeping or drinking that you 
will not lend us the staff of ,friar    
,john wherewith he slaughtered and      
bashed the invaders of the vineyards1   
who are but a parable for the mincing   
pedants and bloodless thin-faced rogues 
of the world8  ,write as the wind blows 
and command all words like an army6 ,see

 them how they stand in rank ready for  
assault1 the jolly1 swaggering fellows6 
,first come the ,neologisms1 that are   
afraid of no man2 fresh1 young1 hearty1 
and for the most part very long-limbed1 
though some few short and strong4       
,there also are the ,misprints to       
confuse the enemy at his onrush4 ,then  
see upon the flank a company of picked  
,ambiguities covering what shall be a   
feint by the squadron of ,anachronisms  
led by old ,anachronos himself2 a       
terrible chap with nigglers and a great 
murderer of fools4  ,but here see more  
deeply massed the ten thousand ,egotisms
 shining in their armour and roaring for
 battle4 ,they care for no one4 ,they   
stormed ,convention yesterday and looted
 the cellar of ,good-,manners1 who died 
of fear without a wound2 so they drank  
his wine and are to-day as strong as    
lions and as careless 7saving only their
 ,captain1 ,monologue1 who is           
lantern-jawed74  ,here are the          
,aposiopaesian ,auxiliaries1 and        

,dithyramb that killed ,punctuation in  
open fight2 ,parenthesis the giant and  
champion of the host1 and ,anacoluthon  
that never learned to read or write but 
is very handy with his sword2 and       
,metathesis and ,hendiadys1 two ,greeks4
 ,and last come the noble ,gallicisms   
prancing about on their light horses3   
cavalry so sudden that the enemy sicken 
at the mere sight of them and are       
overcome without a blow4 ,come then my  
hearties1 my lads1 my indefatigable     
repetitions1 seize you each his own     
trumpet that hangs at his side and blow 
the charge2 we shall soon drive them all
 before us headlong1 howling down       
together to the ,picrocholian ,sea4     
,so6 ,that was an interlude4 ,forget the
 clamour4  ,but there is another matter2
 written as yet in no other ,preface3   
peculiar to this book4 ,for without     
rhyme or reason1 pictures of an         
uncertain kind stand in the pages of the
 chronicle4 ,why8  ,because it has      
become so cheap to photograph on zinc4  

,in old time a man that drew ill drew   
not at all4 ,he did well4 ,then either  
there were no pictures in his book1 or  
7if there were any7 they were done by   
some other man that loved him not a     
groat and would not have walked half a  
mile to see him hanged4 ,but now it is  
so easy for a man to scratch down what  
he sees and put it in his book that any 
fool may do it and be none the          
worse--many others shall follow4 ,this  
is the first4  ,before you blame too    
much1 consider the alternative4 ,shall a
 man march through ,europe dragging an  
artist on a cord8 ,god forbid6  ,shall  
an artist write a book8 ,why no1 the    
remedy is worse than the disease4  ,let 
us agree then1 that1 if he will1 any    
pilgrim may for the future draw 7if he  
likes7 that most difficult subject1 snow
 hills beyond a grove of trees2 that he 
may draw whatever he comes across in    
order to enliven his mind 7for who saw  
it if not he8 ,and was it not his       
loneliness that enabled him to see it871

 and that he may draw what he never saw1
 with as much freedom as you readers so 
very continually see what you never     
draw4 ,he may draw the morning mist on  
the ,grimsel1 six months afterwards2    
when he has forgotten what it was like3 
and he may frame it for a masterpiece to
 make the good draughtsman rage4  ,the  
world has grown a boy again this long   
time past1 and they are building hotels 
7,i hear7 in the place where ,acedes    
discovered the ,water of ,youth in a    
hollow of the hill ,epistemonoscoptes4  
,then let us love one another and laugh4
 ,time passes1 and we shall soon laugh  
no longer--and meanwhile common living  
is a burden1 and earnest men are at     
siege upon us all around4 ,let us suffer
 absurdities1 for that is only to suffer
 one another4  ,nor let us be too hard  
upon the just but anxious fellow that   
sat down dutifully to paint the soul of 
,switzerland upon a fan4  ,when that    
first ,proverb-,maker who has imposed   
upon all peoples by his epigrams and his

 fallacious half-truths1 his empiricism 
and his wanton appeals to popular       
ignorance1 ,i say when this man 7for ,i 
take it he was a man1 and a wicked one7 
was passing through ,france he launched 
among the ,french one of his pestiferous
 phrases1 ',ce n'est que le premier pas 
qui coute' and this in a                
rolling-in-the-mouth self-satisfied kind
 of a manner has been repeated since his
 day at least seventeen million three   
hundred and sixty-two thousand five     
hundred and four times by a great mass  
of ,ushers1 ,parents1 ,company          
,officers1 ,elder ,brothers1 ,parish    
,priests1 and authorities in general    
whose office it may be and whose        
pleasure it certainly is to jog up and  
disturb that native slumber and inertia 
of the mind which is the true breeding  
soil of ,revelation4  ,for when boys or 
soldiers or poets1 or any other blossoms
 and prides of nature1 are for lying    
steady in the shade and letting the     
,mind commune with its ,immortal        

,comrades1 up comes ,authority busking  
about and eager as though it were a duty
 to force the said ,mind to burrow and  
sweat in the matter of this very        
perishable world1 its temporary         
habitation4  ',up1' says ,authority1    
'and let me see that ,mind of yours     
doing something practical4 ,let me see  
,him mixing painfully with circumstance1
 and botching up some ,imperfection or  
other that shall at least be a ,reality 
and not a silly ,fantasy4'  ,then the   
poor ,mind comes back to ,prison again1 
and the boy takes his horrible ,homer in
 the real ,greek 7not ,church's book1   
alas672 the ,poet his rough hairy paper1
 his headache1 and his cross-nibbed pen2
 the ,soldier abandons his inner picture
 of swaggering about in ordinary        
clothes1 and sees the dusty road and    
feels the hard places in his boot1 and  
shakes down again to the steady pressure
 of his pack2 and ,authority is         
satisfied1 knowing that he will get a   
smattering from the ,boy1 a rubbishy    

verse from the ,poet1 and from the      
,soldier a long and thirsty march4 ,and 
,authority1 when it does this commonly  
sets to work by one of these formulae3  
as1 in ,england north of ,trent1 by the 
manifestly false and boastful phrase1   
',a thing begun is half ended'1 and in  
the south by ',the ,beginning is half   
the ,battle'2 but in ,france by the     
words ,i have attributed to the         
,proverb-,maker1 ',ce n'est que le      
premier pas qui coute'4  ,by this you   
may perceive that the ,proverb-,maker1  
like every other ,demagogue1 ,energumen1
 and ,disturber1 dealt largely in       
metaphor--but this ,i need hardly insist
 upon1 for in his vast collection of    
published and unpublished works it is   
amply evident that he took the silly    
pride of the half-educated in a constant
 abuse of metaphor4 ,there was a sturdy 
boy at my school who1 when the master   
had carefully explained to us the nature
 of metaphor1 said that so far as he    
could see a metaphor was nothing but a  

long ,greek word for a lie4 ,and        
certainly men who know that the mere    
truth would be distasteful or tedious   
commonly have recourse to metaphor1 and 
so do those false men who desire to     
acquire a subtle and unjust influence   
over their fellows1 and chief among     
them1 the ,proverb-,maker4 ,for though  
his name is lost in the great space of  
time that has passed since he           
flourished1 yet his character can be    
very clearly deduced from the many      
literary fragments he has left1 and that
 is found to be the character of a      
pusillanimous and ill-bred usurer1      
wholly lacking in foresight1 in generous
 enterprise1 and chivalrous             
enthusiasm--in matters of the ,faith a  
prig or a doubter1 in matters of        
adventure a poltroon1 in matters of     
,science an ignorant ,parrot1 and in    
,letters a wretchedly bad rhymester1    
with a vice for alliteration2 a wilful  
liar 7as1 for instance1 ',the longest   
way round is the shortest way home'71 a 

startling miser 7as1 ',a penny saved is 
a penny earned'71 one ignorant of       
largesse and human charity 7as1 ',waste 
not1 want not'71 and a shocking boor in 
the point of honour 7as1 ',hard words   
break no bones'--he never fought1 ,i    
see1 but with a cudgel74  ,but he had   
just that touch of slinking humour which
 the peasants have1 and there is in all 
he said that exasperating quality for   
which we have no name1 which certainly  
is not accuracy1 and which is quite the 
opposite of judgement1 yet which catches
 the mind as brambles do our clothes1   
causing us continually to pause and     
swear4 ,for he mixes up unanswerable    
things with false conclusions1 he is    
perpetually letting the cat out of the  
bag and exposing our tricks1 putting a  
colour to our actions1 disturbing us    
with our own memory1 indecently         
revealing corners of the soul4 ,he is   
like those men who say one unpleasant   
and rude thing about a friend1 and then 
take refuge from their disloyal and     

false action by pleading that this      
single accusation is true2 and it is    
perhaps for this abominable logicality  
of his and for his malicious cunning    
that ,i chiefly hate him3 and since he  
himself evidently hated the human race1 
he must not complain if he is hated in  
return4  ,take1 for instance1 this      
phrase that set me writing1 ',ce nest   
que le premier pas qui coute'4 ,it is   
false4 ,much after a beginning is       
difficult1 as everybody knows who has   
crossed the sea1 and as for the first   
step a man never so much as remembers   
it2 if there is difficulty it is in the 
whole launching of a thing1 in the first
 ten pages of a book1 or the first      
half-hour of listening to a sermon1 or  
the first mile of a walk4 ,the first    
step is undertaken lightly1 pleasantly1 
and with your soul in the sky2 it is the
 five-hundredth that counts4 ,but ,i    
know1 and you know1 and he knew 7worse  
luck7 that he was saying a thorny and   
catching thing when he made up that     

phrase4 ,it worries one of set purpose4 
,it is as though one had a voice inside 
one saying3  ',i know you1 you will     
never begin anything4 ,look at what you 
might have done6 ,here you are1 already 
twenty-one1 and you have not yet written
 a dictionary4 ,what will you do for    
fame8 ,eh8 ,nothing3 you are intolerably
 lazy--and what is worse1 it is your    
fate4 ,beginnings are insuperable       
barriers to you4 ,what about that great 
work on ,the ,national ,debt8 ,what     
about that little lyric on ,winchelsea  
that you thought of writing six years   
ago8 ,why are the few lines still in    
your head and not on paper8 ,because you
 can't begin4 ,however1 never mind1 you 
can't help it1 it's your one great flaw1
 and it's fatal4 ,look at ,jones6       
,younger than you by half a year1 and   
already on the ,evening ,yankee taking  
bribes from ,company ,promoters6 ,and   
where are you8' c41 c4--and so forth4   
,so this threat about the heavy task of 
,beginning breeds discouragement1 anger1

 vexation1 irritability1 bad style1     
pomposity and infinitives split from    
helm to saddle1 and metaphors as mixed  
as the ,carlton4 ,but it is just true   
enough to remain fast in the mind1      
caught1 as it were1 by one finger4  ,for
 all things 7you will notice7 are very  
difficult in their origin1 and why1 no  
one can understand4 ,omne ,trinum3 they 
are difficult also in the shock of      
maturity and in their ending4 ,take1 for
 instance1 the ,life of ,man1 which is  
the ,difficulty of ,birth1 the          
,difficulty of ,death1 and the          
,difficulty of the ,grand ,climacteric4 
,,lector4 ,what is the ,grand           
,climacteric8  ,,auctor4 ,i have no time
 to tell you1 for it would lead us into 
a discussion on ,astrology1 and then    
perhaps to a question of physical       
science1 and then you would find ,i was 
not orthodox1 and perhaps denounce me to
 the authorities4  ,i will tell you this
 much2 it is the moment 7not the year or
 the month1 mind you1 nor even the hour1

 but the very second7 when a man is     
grown up1 when he sees things as they   
are 7that is1 backwards71 and feels     
solidly himself4 ,do ,i make myself     
clear8 ,no matter1 it is the ,shock of  
,maturity1 and that must suffice for    
you4  ,but perhaps you have been reading
 little brown books on ,evolution1 and  
you don't believe in ,catastrophes1 or  
,climaxes1 or ,definitions8 ,eh8 ,tell  
me1 do you believe in the peak of the   
,matterhorn1 and have you doubts on the 
points of needles8 ,can the sun be said 
truly to rise or set1 and is there any  
exact meaning in the phrase1 ',done to a
 turn' as applied to omelettes8  ,you   
know there is2 and so also you must     
believe in ,categories1 and you must    
admit differences of kind as well as of 
degree1 and you must accept exact       
definition and believe in all that your 
fathers did1 that were wiser men than   
you1 as is easily proved if you will but
 imagine yourself for but one moment    
introduced into the presence of your    

ancestors1 and ask yourself which would 
look the fool4 ,especially must you     
believe in moments and their importance1
 and avoid with the utmost care the     
,comparative ,method and the argument of
 the ,slowly ,accumulating ,heap4 ,i    
hear that some scientists are already   
beginning to admit the reality of ,birth
 and ,death--let but some brave few make
 an act of ,faith in the ,grand         
,climacteric and all shall yet be well4 
,well1 as ,i was saying1 this           
,difficulty of ,beginning is but one of 
three1 and is ,inexplicable1 and is in  
the ,nature of ,things1 and it is very  
especially noticeable in the ,art of    
,letters4 ,there is in every book the   
,difficulty of ,beginning1 the          
,difficulty of the ,turning-,point      
7which is the ,grand ,climacteric of a  
,book7--  ,,lector4 ,what is that in a  
,book8  ,,auctor4 ,why1 it is the point 
where the reader has caught on1 enters  
into the ,book and desires to continue  
reading it4  ,,lector4 ,it comes earlier

 in some books than in others4          
,,auctor4 ,as you say444 ,and finally   
there is the ,difficulty of ,ending4    
,,lector4 ,i do not see how there can be
 any difficulty in ending a book4       
,,auctor4 ,that shows very clearly that 
you have never written one1 for there is
 nothing so hard in the writing of a    
book--no1 not even the choice of the    
,dedication--as is the ending of it4 ,on
 this account only the great ,poets1 who
 are above custom and can snap their    
divine fingers at forms1 are not at the 
pains of devising careful endings4      
,thus1 ,homer ends with lines that might
 as well be in the middle of a passage2 
,hesiod1 ,i know not how2 and ,mr       
,bailey1 the ,new ,voice from ,eurasia1 
does not end at all1 but is still going 
on4  ,panurge told me that his great    
work on ,conchology would never have    
been finished had it not been for the   
,bookseller that threatened law2 and as 
it is1 the last sentence has no verb in 
it4 ,there is always something more to  

be said1 and it is always so difficult  
to turn up the splice neatly at the     
edges4 ,on this account there are       
regular models for ending a book or a   
,poem1 as there are for beginning one2  
but1 for my part1 ,i think the best way 
of ending a book is to rummage about    
among one's manuscripts till one has    
found a bit of ,fine ,writing 7no matter
 upon what subject71 to lead up the last
 paragraphs by no matter what violent   
shocks to the thing it deals with1 to   
introduce a row of asterisks1 and then  
to paste on to the paper below these the
 piece of ,fine ,writing one has found4 
,i knew a man once who always wrote the 
end of a book first1 when his mind was  
fresh1 and so worked gradually back to  
the introductory chapter1 which 7he     
said7 was ever a kind of summary1 and   
could not be properly dealt with till a 
man knew all about his subject4 ,he said
 this was a sovran way to write         
,history4  ,but it seems to me that this
 is pure extravagance1 for it would lead

 one at last to beginning at the bottom 
of the last page1 like the ,hebrew      
,bible1 and 7if it were fully carried   
out7 to writing one's sentences         
backwards till one had a style like the 
,london ,school of ,poets3 a very       
horrible conclusion4  ,however1 ,i am   
not concerned here with the ending of a 
book1 but with its beginning2 and ,i say
 that the beginning of any literary     
thing is hard1 and that this hardness is
 difficult to explain4 ,and ,i say more 
than this--,i say that an interminable  
discussion of the difficulty of         
beginning a book is the worst omen for  
going on with it1 and a trashy          
subterfuge at the best4  ,in the name of
 all decent1 common1 and homely things1 
why not begin and have done with it8    
,it was in the very beginning of ,june1 
at evening1 but not yet sunset1 that ,i 
set out from ,toul by the ,nancy gate2  
but instead of going straight on past   
the parade-ground1 ,i turned to the     
right immediately along the ditch and   

rampart1 and did not leave the          
fortifications till ,i came to the road 
that goes up alongside the ,moselle4    
,for it was by the valley of this river 
that ,i was to begin my pilgrimage1     
since1 by a happy accident1 the valley  
of the ,upper ,moselle runs straight    
towards ,rome1 though it takes you but a
 short part of the way4 ,what a good    
opening it makes for a direct pilgrimage
 can be seen from this little map1 where
 the dotted line points exactly to      
,rome4 ,there are two bends which take  
one a little out of one's way1 and these
 bends ,i attempted to avoid1 but in    
general1 the valley1 about a hundred    
miles from ,toul to the source1 is an   
evident gate for any one walking from   
this part of ,lorraine into ,italy4 ,and
 this map is also useful to show what   
route ,i followed for my first three    
days past ,epinal and ,remiremont up to 
the source of the river1 and up over the
 great hill1 the ,ballon d',alsace4 ,i  
show the river valley like a trench1 and

 the hills above it shaded1 till the    
mountainous upper part1 the ,vosges1 is 
put in black4 ,i chose the decline of   
the day for setting out1 because of the 
great heat a little before noon and four
 hours after it4 ,remembering this1 ,i  
planned to walk at night and in the     
mornings and evenings1 but how this     
design turned out you shall hear in a   
moment4  ,i had not gone far1 not a     
quarter of a mile1 along my road leaving
 the town1 when ,i thought ,i would stop
 and rest a little and make sure that ,i
 had started propitiously and that ,i   
was really on my way to ,rome2 so ,i    
halted by a wall and looked back at the 
city and the forts1 and drew what ,i saw
 in my book4 ,it was a sight that had   
taken a firm hold of my mind in boyhood1
 and that will remain in it as long as  
it can make pictures for itself out of  
the past4 ,i think this must be true of 
all conscripts with regard to the       
garrison in which they have served1 for 
the mind is so fresh at twenty-one and  

the life so new to every recruit as he  
joins it1 he is so cut off from books   
and all the worries of life1 that the   
surroundings of the place bite into him 
and take root1 as one's school does or  
one's first home4 ,and ,i had been      
especially fortunate since ,i had been  
with the gunners 7notoriously the best  
kind of men7 and not in a big place but 
in a little town1 very old and silent1  
with more soldiers in its surrounding   
circle than there were men1 women1 and  
children within its useless ramparts4   
,it is known to be very beautiful1 and  
though ,i had not heard of this         
reputation1 ,i saw it to be so at once  
when ,i was first marched in1 on a      
,november dawn1 up to the height of the 
artillery barracks4 ,i remembered seeing
 then the great hills surrounding it on 
every side1 hiding their menace and     
protection of guns1 and in the south and
 east the silent valley where the high  
forests dominate the ,moselle1 and the  
town below the road standing in an      

island or ring of tall trees4 ,all this1
 ,i say1 ,i had permanently remembered1 
and ,i had determined1 whenever ,i could
 go on pilgrimage to ,rome1 to make this
 place my starting-point1 and as ,i     
stopped here and looked back1 a little  
way outside the gates1 ,i took in again 
the scene that recalled so much laughter
 and heavy work and servitude and pride 
of arms4  ,i was looking straight at the
 great fort of ,st ,michel1 which is the
 strongest thing on the frontier1 and   
which is the key to the circle of forts 
that make up this entrenched camp4 ,one 
could see little or nothing of its      
batteries1 only its hundreds of feet of 
steep brushwood above the vineyards1 and
 at the summit a stunted wood purposely 
planted4 ,next to it on the left1 of    
equal height1 was the hog back of the   
,cote ,barine1 hiding a battery4        
,between the ,cote ,barine and my road  
and wall1 ,i saw the rising ground and  
the familiar ,barracks that are called  
7,i know not why7 the ,barracks of      

,justice1 but ought more properly to be 
called the ,barracks of petty tyrannies 
and good fellowship1 in order to show   
the philosophers that these two things  
are the life of armies2 for of all the  
virtues practised in that old compulsory
 home of mine ,justice came second at   
least if not third1 while ,discipline   
and ,comradeship went first2 and the    
more ,i think of it the more ,i am      
convinced that of all the suffering     
youth that was being there annealed and 
forged into soldiery none can have      
suffered like the lawyers4 ,on the right
 the high trees that stand outside the  
ramparts of the town went dwindling in  
perspective like a palisade1 and above  
them1 here and there1 was a roof showing
 the top of the towers of the ,cathedral
 or of ,st ,gengoult4 ,all this ,i saw  
looking backwards1 and1 when ,i had     
noticed it and drawn it1 ,i turned round
 again and took the road4  ,i had1 in a 
small bag or pocket slung over my       
shoulder1 a large piece of bread1 half a

 pound of smoked ham1 a sketch-book1 two
 ,nationalist papers1 and a quart of the
 wine of ,brule--which is the most      
famous wine in the neighbourhood of the 
garrison1 yet very cheap4 ,and ,brule is
 a very good omen for men that are      
battered about and given to despairing1 
since it is only called ,brule on       
account of its having been burnt so     
often by ,romans1 ,frenchmen1           
,burgundians1 ,germans1 ,flemings1 ,huns
 perhaps1 and generally all those who in
 the last few thousand years have taken 
a short cut at their enemies over the   
neck of the ,cote ,barine4 ,so you would
 imagine it to be a tumble-down1 weak1  
wretched1 and disappearing place2 but1  
so far from this1 it is a rich and proud
 village1 growing1 as ,i have said1     
better wine than any in the garrison4   
,though ,toul stands in a great cup or  
ring of hills1 very high and with steep 
slopes1 and guns on all of them1 and all
 these hills grow wine1 none is so good 
as ,brule wine4 ,and this reminds me of 

a thing that happened in the ,manoeuvres
 of #ahia1 quorum pars magna2 for there 
were two divisions employed in that     
glorious and fatiguing great game1 and  
more than a gross of guns--to be        
accurate1 a hundred and fifty-six--and  
of these one 7the sixth piece of the    
tenth battery of the eighth--,i wonder  
where you all are now8 ,i suppose ,i    
shall not see you again2 but you were   
the best companions in the world1 my    
friends7 was driven by three drivers1 of
 whom ,i was the middle one1 and the    
worst1 having on my ,livret the note    
'conducteur mediocre'4 ,but that is     
neither here nor there2 the story is as 
follows1 and the moral is that the      
commercial mind is illogical4  ,when we 
had gone some way1 clattering through   
the dust1 and were well on on the       
,commercy road1 there was a short halt1 
and during this halt there passed us the
 largest ,tun or ,barrel that ever went 
on wheels4 ,you talk of the ,great ,tun 
of ,heidelburg1 or of those monstrous   

,vats that stand in cool sheds in the   
,napa ,valley1 or of the vast barrels in
 the ,catacombs of ,rheims2 but all     
these are built in situ and meant to    
remain steady1 and there is no limit to 
the size of a ,barrel that has not to   
travel4 ,the point about this enormous  
,receptacle of ,bacchus and cavernous   
huge ,prison of ,laughter1 was that it  
could move1 though cumbrously1 and it   
was drawn very slowly by stupid1 patient
 oxen1 who would not be hurried4 ,on the
 top of it sat a strong peasant1 with a 
face of determination1 as though he were
 at war with his kind1 and he kept on   
calling to his oxen1 ',han'1 and ',hu'1 
in the tones of a sullen challenge1 as  
he went creaking past4 ,then the        
soldiers began calling out to him       
singly1 ',where are you off to1 ,father1
 with that battery8' and ',why carry    
cold water to ,commercy8 ,they have only
 too much as it is2' and ',what have you
 got in the little barrelkin1 the       
barrellet1 the cantiniere's             

brandy-flask1 the gourd1 the firkin8'   
,he stopped his oxen fiercely and turned
 round to us and said3 ',i will tell you
 what ,i have here4 ,i have so many     
hectolitres of ,brule wine which ,i made
 myself1 and which ,i know to be the    
best wine there is1 and ,i am taking it 
about to see if ,i cannot tame and break
 these proud fellows who are for ever   
beating down prices and mocking me4 ,it 
is worth eight 'scutcheons the          
hectolitre1 that is1 eight sols the     
litre2 what do ,i say8 it is worth a    
,louis a cup3 but ,i will sell it at the
 price ,i name1 and not a penny less4   
,but whenever ,i come to a village the  
innkeeper begins bargaining and         
chaffering and offering six sols and    
seven sols1 and ,i answer1 ,eight sols1 
take it or leave it1 and when he seems  
for haggling again ,i get up and drive  
away4 ,i know the worth of my wine1 and 
,i will not be beaten down though ,i    
have to go out of ,lorraine into the    
,barrois to sell it4'  ,so when we      

caught him up again1 as we did shortly  
after on the road1 a sergeant cried as  
we passed1 ',i will give you seven1     
seven and a quarter1 seven and a half'1 
and we went on laughing and forgot all  
about him4  ,for many days we marched   
from this place to that place1 and fired
 and played a confused game in the hot  
sun till the train of sick horses was a 
mile long1 and till the recruits were   
all as deaf as so many posts2 and at    
last1 one evening1 we came to a place   
called ,heiltz le ,maurupt1 which was   
like heaven after the hot plain and the 
dust1 and whose inhabitants are as good 
and hospitable as ,angels2 it is just   
where the ,champagne begins4 ,when we   
had groomed and watered our horses1 and 
the stable guard had been set1 and we   
had all an hour or so's leisure to      
stroll about in the cool darkness before
 sleeping in the barns1 we had a sudden 
lesson in the smallness of the world1   
for what should come up the village     
street but that monstrous ,barrel1 and  

we could see by its movements that it   
was still quite full4  ,we gathered     
round the peasant1 and told him how     
grieved we were at his ill fortune1 and 
agreed with him that all the people of  
the ,barrois were thieves or madmen not 
to buy such wine for such a song4 ,he   
took his oxen and his barrel to a very  
high shed that stood by1 and there he   
told us all his pilgrimage and the many 
assaults his firmness suffered1 and how 
he had resisted them all4 ,there was    
much more anger than sorrow in his      
accent1 and ,i could see that he was of 
the wood from which tyrants and martyrs 
are carved4 ,then suddenly he changed   
and became eloquent3  ',oh1 the good    
wine6 ,if only it were known and        
tasted6444 ,here1 give me a cup1 and ,i 
will ask some of you to taste it1 then  
at least ,i shall have it praised as it 
deserves4 ,and this is the wine ,i have 
carried more than a hundred miles1 and  
everywhere it has been refused6'  ,there
 was one guttering candle on a little   

stool4 ,the roof of the shed was lost up
 in the great height of darkness2       
behind1 in the darkness1 the oxen       
champed away steadily in the manger4    
,the light from the candle flame lit his
 face strongly from beneath and marked  
it with dark shadows4 ,it flickered on  
the circle of our faces as we pressed   
round1 and it came slantwise and waned  
and disappeared in the immense length of
 the ,barrel4 ,he stood near the tap    
with his brows knit as upon some very   
important task1 and all we1 gunners and 
drivers of the battery1 began unhooking 
our mugs and passing them to him4       
,there were nearly a hundred1 and he    
filled them all2 not in jollity1 but    
like a man offering up a solemn         
sacrifice4 ,we also1 entering into his  
mood1 passed our mugs continually1      
thanking him in a low tone and keeping  
in the main silent4 ,a few linesmen     
lounged at the door2 he asked for their 
cups and filled them4 ,he bade them     
fetch as many of their comrades as cared

 to come2 and very soon there was a     
circulating crowd of men all getting    
wine of ,brule and murmuring their      
congratulations1 and he was willing     
enough to go on giving1 but we stopped  
when we saw fit and the scene ended4 ,i 
cannot tell what prodigious measure of  
wine he gave away to us all that night1 
but when he struck the roof of the cask 
it already sounded hollow4 ,and when we 
had made a collection which he had      
refused1 he went to sleep by his oxen1  
and we to our straw in other barns4     
,next day we started before dawn1 and ,i
 never saw him again4  ,this is the     
story of the wine of ,brule1 and it     
shows that what men love is never money 
itself but their own way1 and that human
 beings love sympathy and pageant above 
all things4 ,it also teaches us not to  
be hard on the rich4  ,i walked along   
the valley of the ,moselle1 and as ,i   
walked the long evening of summer began 
to fall4 ,the sky was empty and its     
deeps infinite2 the clearness of the air

 set me dreaming4 ,i passed the turn    
where we used to halt when we were      
learning how to ride in front of the    
guns1 past the little house where1 on   
rare holidays1 the boys could eat a     
matelote1 which is fish boiled in wine1 
and so on to the place where the river  
is held by a weir and opens out into a  
kind of lake4  ,here ,i waited for a    
moment by the wooden railing1 and looked
 up into the hills4 ,so far ,i had been 
at home1 and ,i was now poring upon the 
last familiar thing before ,i ventured  
into the high woods and began my        
experience4 ,i therefore took a         
leisurely farewell1 and pondered instead
 of walking farther4 ,everything about  
me conduced to reminiscence and to ease4
  ,a flock of sheep passed me with their
 shepherd1 who gave me a good-night4 ,i 
found myself entering that pleasant mood
 in which all books are conceived 7but  
none written72 ,i was 'smoking the      
enchanted cigarettes' of ,balzac1 and if
 this kind of reverie is fatal to       

action1 yet it is so much a factor of   
happiness that ,i wasted in the         
contemplation of that lovely and silent 
hollow many miles of marching4 ,i       
suppose if a man were altogether his own
 master and controlled by no necessity1 
not even the necessity of expression1   
all his life would pass away in these   
sublime imaginings4  ,this was a place  
,i remembered very well4 ,the rising    
river of ,lorraine is caught and barred1
 and it spreads in a great sheet of     
water that must be very shallow1 but    
that in its reflections and serenity    
resembles rather a profound and silent  
mere4 ,the steeps surrounding it are    
nearly mountainous1 and are crowned with
 deep forests in which the province     
reposes1 and upon which it depends for  
its local genius4 ,a little village1    
which we used to call ',st ,peter of the
 ,quarries'1 lies up on the right       
between the steep and the water1 and    
just where the hills end a flat that was
 once marshy and is now half fields1    

half ponds1 but broken with luxuriant   
trees1 marks the great age of its       
civilization4 ,along this flat runs1    
bordered with rare poplars1 the road    
which one can follow on and on into the 
heart of the ,vosges4 ,i took from this 
silence and this vast plain of still    
water the repose that introduces night4 
,it was all consonant with what the     
peasants were about3 the return from    
labour1 the bleating folds1 and the     
lighting of lamps under the eaves4 ,in  
such a spirit ,i passed along the upper 
valley to the spring of the hills4  ,in 
,st ,pierre it was just that passing of 
daylight when a man thinks he can still 
read2 when the buildings and the bridges
 are great masses of purple that deceive
 one1 recalling the details of daylight1
 but when the night birds1 surer than   
men and less troubled by this illusion  
of memory1 have discovered that their   
darkness has conquered4  ,the peasants  
sat outside their houses in the twilight
 accepting the cool air2 every one spoke

 to me as ,i marched through1 and ,i    
answered them all1 nor was there in any 
of their salutations the omission of    
good fellowship or of the name of ,god4 
,saving with one man1 who was a sergeant
 of artillery on leave1 and who cried   
out to me in an accent that was very    
familiar and asked me to drink2 but ,i  
told him ,i had to go up into the forest
 to take advantage of the night1 since  
the days were so warm for walking4 ,as  
,i left the last house of the village ,i
 was not secure from loneliness1 and    
when the road began to climb up the hill
 into the wild and the trees ,i was     
wondering how the night would pass4     
,with every step upward a greater       
mystery surrounded me4 ,a few stars were
 out1 and the brown night mist was      
creeping along the water below1 but     
there was still light enough to see the 
road1 and even to distinguish the       
bracken in the deserted hollows4 ,the   
highway became little better than a     
lane2 at the top of the hill it plunged 

under tall pines1 and was vaulted over  
with darkness4 ,the kingdoms that have  
no walls1 and are built up of shadows1  
began to oppress me as the night        
hardened4 ,had ,i had companions1 still 
we would only have spoken in a whisper1 
and in that dungeon of trees even my own
 self would not raise its voice within  
me4  ,it was full night when ,i had     
reached a vague clearing in the woods1  
right up on the height of that flat     
hill4 ,this clearing was called ',the   
,fountain of ,magdalen'4 ,i was so far  
relieved by the broader sky of the open 
field that ,i could wait and rest a     
little1 and there1 at last1 separate    
from men1 ,i thought of a thousand      
things4 ,the air was full of midsummer1 
and its mixture of exaltation and fear  
cut me off from ordinary living4 ,i now 
understood why our religion has made    
sacred this season of the year2 why we  
have1 a little later1 the night of ,st  
,john1 the fires in the villages1 and   
the old perception of fairies dancing in

 the rings of the summer grass4 ,a      
general communion of all things         
conspires at this crisis of summer      
against us reasoning men that should    
live in the daylight1 and something     
fantastic possesses those who are       
foolish enough to watch upon such       
nights4 ,so ,i1 watching1 was cut off4  
,there were huge1 vague summits1 all    
wooded1 peering above the field ,i sat  
in1 but they merged into a confused     
horizon4 ,i was on a high plateau1 yet  
,i felt myself to be alone with the     
immensity that properly belongs to      
plains alone4 ,i saw the stars1 and     
remembered how ,i had looked up at them 
on just such a night when ,i was close  
to the ,pacific1 bereft of friends and  
possessed with solitude4 ,there was no  
noise2 it was full darkness4 ,the woods 
before and behind me made a square frame
 of silence1 and ,i was enchased here in
 the clearing1 thinking of all things4  
,then a little wind passed over the vast
 forests of ,lorraine4 ,it seemed to    

wake an indefinite sly life proper to   
this seclusion1 a life to which ,i was  
strange1 and which thought me an        
invader4 ,yet ,i heard nothing4 ,there  
were no adders in the long grass1 nor   
any frogs in that dry square of land1   
nor crickets on the high part of the    
hill2 but ,i knew that little creatures 
in league with every nocturnal          
influence1 enemies of the sun1 occupied 
the air and the land about me2 nor will 
,i deny that ,i felt a rebel1 knowing   
well that men were made to work in happy
 dawns and to sleep in the night1 and   
everything in that short and sacred     
darkness multiplied my attentiveness and
 my illusion4 ,perhaps the instincts of 
the sentry1 the necessities of guard1   
come back to us out of the ages unawares
 during such experiments4 ,at any rate  
the night oppressed and exalted me4     
,then ,i suddenly attributed such       
exaltation to the need of food4  ',if we
 must try this bookish plan of sleeping 
by day and walking by night1' ,i        

thought1 'at least one must arrange     
night meals to suit it4'  ,i therefore1 
with my mind still full of the forest1  
sat down and lit a match and peered into
 my sack1 taking out therefrom bread and
 ham and chocolate and ,brule wine4 ,for
 seat and table there was a heathery    
bank still full of the warmth and savour
 of the last daylight1 for companions   
these great inimical influences of the  
night which ,i had met and dreaded1 and 
for occasion or excuse there was hunger4
 ,of the ,many that debate what shall be
 done with travellers1 it was the best  
and kindest ,spirit that prompted me to 
this salutary act4 ,for as ,i drank the 
wine and dealt with the ham and bread1  
,i felt more and more that ,i had a     
right to the road2 the stars became     
familiar and the woods a plaything4 ,it 
is quite clear that the body must be    
recognized and the soul kept in its     
place1 since a little refreshing food   
and drink can do so much to make a man4 
,on this repast ,i jumped up merrily1   

lit a pipe1 and began singing1 and      
heard1 to my inexpressible joy1 some way
 down the road1 the sound of other      
voices4 ,they were singing that old song
 of the ,french infantry which dates    
from ,louis ,,xiv1 and is called        
',aupres de ma blonde'4 ,i answered     
their chorus1 so that1 by the time we   
met under the wood1 we were already     
acquainted4 ,they told me they had had a
 forty-eight hours' leave into ,nancy1  
the four of them1 and had to be in by   
roll-call at a place called ,villey the 
,dry4 ,i remembered it after all those  
years4  ,it is a village perched on the 
brow of one of these high hills above   
the river1 and it found itself one day  
surrounded by earthworks1 and a great   
fort raised just above the church4      
,then1 before they knew where they were1
 they learnt that 7#a7 no one could go  
in or out between sunset and sunrise    
without leave of the officer in command2
 7#b7 that from being a village they had
 become the 'buildings situate within   

,fort ,no4 #ah'2 7#c7 that they were to 
be deluged with soldiers2 and 7#d7 that 
they were liable to evacuate their      
tenements on mobilization4 ,they had    
become a fort unwittingly as they slept1
 and all their streets were blocked with
 ramparts4 ,a hard fate2 but they should
 not have built their village just on   
the brow of a round hill4  ,they did    
this in the old days1 when men used     
stone instead of iron1 because the top  
of a hill was a good place to hold      
against enemies2 and so now1 these      
#gc1dbf years after1 they find the same 
advantage catching them again to their  
hurt4 ,and so things go the round4      
,anyway ,villey the ,dry is a fort1 and 
there my four brothers were going4 ,it  
was miles off1 and they had to be in by 
sunrise1 so ,i offered them a pull of my
 wine1 which1 to my great joy1 they     
refused1 and we parted courteously4     
,then ,i found the road beginning to    
fall1 and knew that ,i had crossed the  
hills4  ,as the forest ended and the    

sloping fields began1 a dim moon came up
 late in the east in the bank of fog    
that masked the river4 ,so by a sloping 
road1 now free from the woods1 and at   
the mouth of a fine untenanted valley   
under the moon1 ,i came down again to   
the ,moselle1 having saved a great elbow
 by this excursion over the high land4  
,as ,i swung round the bend of the hills
 downwards and looked up the sloping    
dell1 ,i remembered that these heathery 
hollows were called 'vallons' by the    
people of ,lorraine1 and this set me    
singing the song of the hunters1        
',entends tu dans nos vallons1 le       
,chasseur sonner du clairon1' which ,i  
sang loudly till ,i reached the river   
bank1 and lost the exhilaration of the  
hills4  ,i had now come some twelve     
miles from my starting-place1 and it was
 midnight4 ,the plain1 the level road   
7which often rose a little71 and the    
dank air of the river began to oppress  
me with fatigue4 ,i was not disturbed by
 this1 for ,i had intended to break     

these nights of marching by occasional  
repose1 and while ,i was in the comfort 
of cities--especially in the false hopes
 that one got by reading books--,i had  
imagined that it was a light matter to  
sleep in the open4 ,indeed1 ,i had often
 so slept when ,i had been compelled to 
it in ,manoeuvres1 but ,i had forgotten 
how essential was a rug of some kind1   
and what a difference a fire and        
comradeship could make4  ,thinking over 
it all1 feeling my tiredness1 and       
shivering a little in the chill under   
the moon and the clear sky1 ,i was very 
ready to capitulate and to sleep in bed 
like a ,christian at the next           
opportunity4 ,but there is some         
influence in vows or plans that escapes 
our power of rejudgement4 ,all false    
calculations must be paid for1 and ,i   
found1 as you will see1 that having said
 ,i would sleep in the open1 ,i had to  
keep to it in spite of all my second    
thoughts4  ,i passed one village and    
then another in which everything was    

dark1 and in which ,i could waken       
nothing but dogs1 who thought me an     
enemy1 till at last ,i saw a great belt 
of light in the fog above the ,moselle4 
,here there was a kind of town or large 
settlement where there were ironworks1  
and where1 as ,i thought1 there would be
 houses open1 even after midnight4 ,i   
first found the old town1 where just two
 men were awake at some cooking work or 
other4  ,i found them by a chink of     
light streaming through their door2 but 
they gave me no hope1 only advising me  
to go across the river and try in the   
new town where the forges and the       
ironworks were4 ',there1' they said1 ',i
 should certainly find a bed4'  ,i      
crossed the bridge1 being now much too  
weary to notice anything1 even the      
shadowy hills1 and the first thing ,i   
found was a lot of waggons that belonged
 to a caravan or fair4 ,here some men   
were awake1 but when ,i suggested that  
they should let me sleep in their little
 houses on wheels1 they told me it was  

never done2 that it was all they could  
do to pack in themselves2 that they had 
no straw2 that they were guarded by     
dogs2 and generally gave me to          
understand 7though without violence or  
unpoliteness7 that ,i looked as though  
,i were the man to steal their lions and
 tigers4 ,they told me1 however1 that   
without doubt ,i should find something  
open in the centre of the workmen's     
quarter1 where the great electric lamps 
now made a glare over the factory4  ,i  
trudged on unwillingly1 and at the very 
last house of this detestable industrial
 slavery1 a high house with a gable1 ,i 
saw a window wide open1 and a blonde man
 smoking a cigarette at a balcony4 ,i   
called to him at once1 and asked him to 
let me a bed4 ,he put to me all the     
questions he could think of4 ,why was ,i
 there8 ,where had ,i come from8 ,where 
7if ,i was honest7 had ,i intended to   
sleep8 ,how came ,i at such an hour on  
foot8 and other examinations4 ,i thought
 a little what excuse to give him1 and  

then1 determining that ,i was too tired 
to make up anything plausible1 ,i told  
him the full truth2 that ,i had meant to
 sleep rough1 but had been overcome by  
fatigue1 and that ,i had walked from    
,toul1 starting at evening4 ,i conjured 
him by our common ,faith to let me in4  
,he told me that it was impossible1 as  
he had but one room in which he and his 
family slept1 and assured me he had     
asked all these questions out of        
sympathy and charity alone4 ,then he    
wished me good-night1 honestly and      
kindly1 and went in4  ,by this time ,i  
was very much put out1 and began to be  
angry4 ,these straggling ,french towns  
give no opportunity for a shelter4 ,i   
saw that ,i should have to get out      
beyond the market gardens1 and that it  
might be a mile or two before ,i found  
any rest4 ,a clock struck one4 ,i looked
 up and saw it was from the belfry of   
one of those new chapels which the monks
 are building everywhere1 nor did ,i    
forget to curse the monks in my heart   

for building them4 ,i cursed also those 
who started smelting works in the       
,moselle valley2 those who gave false   
advice to travellers2 those who kept    
lions and tigers in caravans1 and for a 
small sum ,i would have cursed the whole
 human race1 when ,i saw that my bile   
had hurried me out of the street well   
into the countryside1 and that above me1
 on a bank1 was a patch of orchard and a
 lane leading up to it4 ,into this ,i   
turned1 and1 finding a good deal of dry 
hay lying under the trees1 ,i soon made 
myself an excellent bed1 first building 
a little mattress1 and then piling on   
hay as warm as a blanket4  ,i did not   
lie awake 7as when ,i planned my        
pilgrimage ,i had promised myself ,i    
would do71 looking at the sky through   
the branches of trees1 but ,i slept at  
once without dreaming1 and woke up to   
find it was broad daylight1 and the sun 
ready to rise4 ,then1 stiff and but     
little rested by two hours of           
exhaustion1 ,i took up my staff and my  

sack and regained the road4  ,i should  
very much like to know what those who   
have an answer to everything can say    
about the food requisite to breakfast8  
,those great men ,marlowe and ,jonson1  
,shakespeare1 and ,spenser before him1  
drank beer at rising1 and tamed it with 
a little bread4 ,in the regiment we used
 to drink black coffee without sugar1   
and cut off a great hunk of stale crust1
 and eat nothing more till the halt3 for
 the matter of that1 the great victories
 of '#ic were fought upon such          
unsubstantial meals2 for the            
,republicans fought first and ate       
afterwards1 being in this quite unlike  
the ,ten ,thousand4 ,sailors ,i know eat
 nothing for some hours--,i mean those  
who turn out at four in the morning2 ,i 
could give the name of the watch1 but   
that ,i forget it and will not be       
plagued to look up technicalities4 ,dogs
 eat the first thing they come across1  
cats take a little milk1 and gentlemen  
are accustomed to get up at nine and eat

 eggs1 bacon1 kidneys1 ham1 cold        
pheasant1 toast1 coffee1 tea1 scones1   
and honey1 after which they will boast  
that their race is the hardiest in the  
world and ready to bear every fatigue in
 the pursuit of ,empire4 ,but what rule 
governs all this8 ,why is breakfast     
different from all other things1 so that
 the ,greeks called it the best thing in
 the world1 and so that each of us in a 
vague way knows that he would eat at    
breakfast nothing but one special kind  
of food1 and that he could not imagine  
breakfast at any other hour in the day8 
,the provocation to this inquiry 7which 
,i have here no time to pursue7 lies in 
the extraordinary distaste that ,i      
conceived that morning for ,brule wine4 
,my ham and bread and chocolate ,i had  
consumed overnight4 ,i thought1 in my   
folly1 that ,i could break my fast on a 
swig of what had seemed to me1 only the 
night before1 the best revivifier and   
sustenance possible4 ,in the harsh dawn 
it turned out to be nothing but a bitter

 and intolerable vinegar4 ,i make no    
attempt to explain this1 nor to say why 
the very same wine that had seemed so   
good in the forest 7and was to seem so  
good again later on by the canal7 should
 now repel me4 ,i can only tell you that
 this heavy disappointment convinced me 
of a great truth that a ,politician once
 let slip in my hearing1 and that ,i    
have never since forgotten4 ',man1' said
 the ,director of the ,state1 'man is   
but the creature of circumstance4'  ,as 
it was1 ,i lit a pipe of tobacco and    
hobbled blindly along for miles under   
and towards the brightening east4 ,just 
before the sun rose ,i turned and looked
 backward from a high bridge that       
recrossed the river4 ,the long effort of
 the night had taken me well on my way4 
,i was out of the familiar region of the
 garrison4 ,the great forest-hills that 
,i had traversed stood up opposite the  
dawn1 catching the new light2 heavy1    
drifting1 but white clouds1 rare at such
 an hour1 sailed above them4 ,the valley

 of the ,moselle1 which ,i had never    
thought of save as a half mountainous   
region1 had fallen1 to become a kind of 
long garden1 whose walls were regular1  
low1 and cultivated slopes4 ,the main   
waterway of the valley was now not the  
river but the canal that fed from it4   
,the tall grasses1 the leaves1 and      
poplars bordering the river and the     
canal seemed dark close to me1 but the  
valley as a whole was vague1 a mass of  
trees with one ,lorraine church-tower   
showing1 and the delicate slopes        
bounding it on either side4  ,descending
 from this bridge ,i found a sign-post1 
that told me ,i had walked thirty-two   
kilometres--which is twenty miles--from 
,toul2 that it was one kilometre to     
,flavigny1 and heaven knows how much to 
a place called ,charmes4  ,the sun rose 
in the mist that lay up the long even   
trends of the vale1 between the low and 
level hills1 and ,i pushed on my        
thousand yards towards ,flavigny4       
,there1 by a special providence1 ,i     

found the entertainment and             
companionship whose lack had left me    
wrecked all these early hours4  ,as ,i  
came into ,flavigny ,i saw at once that 
it was a place on which a book might    
easily be written1 for it had a church  
built in the seventeenth century1 when  
few churches were built outside great   
towns1 a convent1 and a general air of  
importance that made of it that grand   
and noble thing1 that primary cell of   
the organism of ,europe1 that best of   
all ,christian associations - a large   
village4  ,i say a book might be written
 upon it1 and there is no doubt that a  
great many articles and pamphlets must  
have been written upon it1 for the      
,french are furiously given to local    
research and reviews1 and to glorifying 
their native places3 and when they      
cannot discover folklore they enrich    
their beloved homes by inventing it4    
,there was even a man 7,i forget his    
name7 who wrote a delightful book called
 ,popular and ,traditional ,songs of my 

,province1 which book1 after he was     
dead1 was discovered to be entirely his 
own invention1 and not a word of it     
familiar to the inhabitants of the soil4
 ,he was a large1 laughing man that     
smoked enormously1 had great masses of  
hair1 and worked by night2 also he      
delighted in the society of friends1 and
 talked continuously4 ,i wish he had a  
statue somewhere1 and that they would   
pull down to make room for it any one of
 those useless bronzes that are to be   
found even in the little villages1 and  
that commemorate solemn1 whiskered men1 
pillars of the state4  ,for surely this 
is the habit of the true poet1 and marks
 the vigour and recurrent origin of     
poetry1 that a man should get his head  
full of rhythms and catches1 and that   
they should jumble up somehow into short
 songs of his own4 ,what could more     
suggest 7for instance7 a whole troop of 
dancing words and lovely thoughts than  
this refrain from the ,tourdenoise--    
444 ,son beau corps est en terre   ,son 

ame en ,paradis4   ,tu ris8   ,et ris1  
tu ris1 ma ,bergere1   ,ris1 ma         
,bergere1 tu ris4  ,that was the way    
they set to work in ,england before the 
,puritans came1 when men were not afraid
 to steal verses from one another1 and  
when no one imagined that he could live 
by letters1 but when every poet took a  
patron1 or begged or robbed the         
churches4 ,so much for the poets4       
,flavigny then1 ,i say 7for ,i seem to  
be digressing71 is a long street of     
houses all built together as animals    
build their communities4 ,they are all  
very old1 but the people have worked    
hard since the ,revolution1 and none of 
them are poor1 nor are any of them very 
rich4 ,i saw but one gentleman's house1 
and that1 ,i am glad to say1 was in     
disrepair4 ,most of the peasants' houses
 had1 for a ground floor1 cavernous     
great barns out of which came a         
delightful smell of morning -- that is1 
of hay1 litter1 oxen1 and stored grains 
and old wood2 which is the true breath  

of morning1 because it is the scent that
 all the human race worth calling human 
first meets when it rises1 and is the   
association of sunrise in the minds of  
those who keep the world alive3 but not 
in the wretched minds of townsmen1 and  
least of all in the minds of            
journalists1 who know nothing of morning
 save that it is a time of jaded        
emptiness when you have just done       
prophesying 7for the hundredth time7 the
 approaching end of the world1 when the 
floors are beginning to tremble with    
machinery1 and when1 in a weary kind of 
way1 one feels hungry and alone3 a nasty
 life and usually a short one4  ,to     
return to ,flavigny4 ,this way of       
stretching a village all along one      
street is ,roman1 and is the mark of    
civilization4 ,when ,i was at college ,i
 was compelled to read a work by the    
crabbed ,tacitus on the ,germans1 where1
 in the midst of a deal that is vague   
and fantastic nonsense and much that is 
wilful lying1 comes this excellent      

truth1 that barbarians build their      
houses separate1 but civilized men      
together4 ,so whenever you see a lot of 
red roofs nestling1 as the phrase goes1 
in the woods of a hillside in south     
,england1 remember that all that is     
savagery2 but when you see a hundred    
white-washed houses in a row along a    
dead straight road1 lift up your hearts1
 for you are in civilization again4     
,but ,i continue to wander from         
,flavigny4 ,the first thing ,i saw as ,i
 came into the street and noted how the 
level sun stood in a haze beyond1 and   
how it shadowed and brought out the     
slight irregularities of the road1 was a
 cart drawn by a galloping donkey1 which
 came at and passed me with a prodigious
 clatter as ,i dragged myself forward4  
,in the cart were two nuns1 each with a 
scythe2 they were going out mowing1 and 
were up the first in the village1 as    
,religious always are4 ,cheered by this 
happy omen1 but not yet heartened1 ,i   
next met a very old man leading out a   

horse1 and asked him if there was       
anywhere where ,i could find coffee and 
bread at that hour2 but he shook his    
head mournfully and wished me           
good-morning in a strong accent1 for he 
was deaf and probably thought ,i was    
begging4 ,so ,i went on still more      
despondent till ,i came to a really     
merry man of about middle age who was   
going to the fields1 singing1 with a    
very large rake over his shoulder4      
,when ,i had asked him the same question
 he stared at me a little and said of   
course coffee and bread could be had at 
the baker's1 and when ,i asked him how  
,i should know the baker's he was still 
more surprised at my ignorance1 and     
said1 ',by the smoke coming from the    
large chimney4' ,this ,i saw rising a   
short way off on my right1 so ,i thanked
 him and went and found there a youth of
 about nineteen1 who sat at a fine oak  
table and had coffee1 rum1 and a loaf   
before him4 ,he was waiting for the     
bread in the oven to be ready2 and      

meanwhile he was very courteous1 poured 
out coffee and rum for me and offered me
 bread4  ,it is a matter often discussed
 why bakers are such excellent citizens 
and good men4 ,for while it is admitted 
in every country ,i was ever in that    
cobblers are argumentative and atheists 
7,i except the cobbler under            
,plinlimmon1 concerning whom would to   
heaven ,i had the space to tell you all 
here1 for he knows the legends of the   
mountain71 while it is public that      
barbers are garrulous and servile1 that 
millers are cheats 7we say in ,sussex   
that every honest miller has a large    
tuft of hair on the palm of his hand71  
yet--with every trade in the world      
having some bad quality attached to     
it--bakers alone are exempt1 and every  
one takes it for granted that they are  
sterling3 indeed1 there are some        
societies in which1 no matter how gloomy
 and churlish the conversation may have 
become1 you have but to mention bakers  
for voices to brighten suddenly and for 

a good influence to pervade every one4  
,i say this is known for a fact1 but not
 usually explained2 the explanation is1 
that bakers are always up early in the  
morning and can watch the dawn1 and that
 in this occupation they live in lonely 
contemplation enjoying the early hours4 
,so it was with this baker of mine in   
,flavigny1 who was a boy4 ,when he heard
 that ,i had served at ,toul he was     
delighted beyond measure2 he told me of 
a brother of his that had been in the   
same regiment1 and he assured me that he
 was himself going into the artillery by
 special enlistment1 having got his     
father's leave4 ,you know very little if
 you think ,i missed the opportunity of 
making the guns seem terrible and       
glorious in his eyes4 ,i told him       
stories enough to waken a sentry of     
reserve1 and if it had been possible    
7with my youth so obvious7 ,i would have
 woven in a few anecdotes of active     
service1 and described great shells     
bursting under my horses and the teams  

shot down1 and the gunners all the while
 impassive2 but as ,i saw ,i should not 
be believed ,i did not speak of such    
things1 but confined myself to what he  
would see and hear when he joined4      
,meanwhile the good warm food and the   
rising morning had done two things2 they
 had put much more vigour into me than  
,i had had when ,i slunk in half-an-hour
 before1 but at the same time 7and this 
is a thing that often comes with food   
and with rest7 they had made me feel the
 fatigue of so long a night4 ,i rose up1
 therefore1 determined to find some     
place where ,i could sleep4 ,i asked    
this friend of mine how much there was  
to pay1 and he said 'fourpence'4 ,then  
we exchanged ritual salutations1 and ,i 
took the road4 ,i did not leave the town
 or village without noticing one        
extraordinary thing at the far end of   
it1 which was that1 whereas most places 
in ,france are proud of their town-hall 
and make a great show of it1 here in    
,flavigny they had taken a great house  

and written over it ,,ecole ,,communale 
in great letters1 and then they had     
written over a kind of lean-to or       
out-house of this big place the words   
',hotel de ville' in very small letters1
 so small that ,i had a doubt for a     
moment if the citizens here were good   
republicans--a treasonable thought on   
all this frontier4  ,then1 a mile       
onward1 ,i saw the road cross the canal 
and run parallel to it4  ,i saw the     
canal run another mile or so under a    
fine bank of deep woods4 ,i saw an old  
bridge leading over it to that inviting 
shade1 and as it was now nearly six and 
the sun was gathering strength1 ,i went1
 with slumber overpowering me and my    
feet turning heavy beneath me1 along the
 tow-path1 over the bridge1 and lay down
 on the moss under these delightful     
trees4  ,forgetful of the penalty that  
such an early repose would bring1 and of
 the great heat that was to follow at   
midday1 ,i quickly became part of the   
life of that forest and fell asleep4    

,when ,i awoke it was full eight        
o'clock1 and the sun had gained great   
power4  ,i saw him shining at me through
 the branches of my trees like a patient
 enemy outside a city that one watches  
through the loopholes of a tower1 and ,i
 began to be afraid of taking the road4 
,i looked below me down the steep bank  
between the trunks and saw the canal    
looking like black marble1 and ,i heard 
the buzzing of the flies above it1 and  
,i noted that all the mist had gone4 ,a 
very long way off1 the noise of its     
ripples coming clearly along the floor  
of the water1 was a lazy barge and a    
horse drawing it4 ,from time to time the
 tow-rope slackened into the still      
surface1 and ,i heard it dripping as it 
rose4 ,the rest of the valley was silent
 except for that under-humming of       
insects which marks the strength of the 
sun4  ,now ,i saw clearly how difficult 
it was to turn night into day1 for ,i   
found myself condemned either to waste  
many hours that ought to be consumed on 

my pilgrimage1 or else to march on under
 the extreme heat2 and when ,i had drunk
 what was left of my ,brule wine 7which 
then seemed delicious71 and had eaten a 
piece of bread1 ,i stiffly jolted down  
the bank and regained the highway4  ,in 
the first village ,i came to ,i found   
that ,mass was over1 and this justly    
annoyed me2 for what is a pilgrimage in 
which a man cannot hear ,mass every     
morning8 ,of all the things ,i have read
 about ,st ,louis which make me wish ,i 
had known him to speak to1 nothing seems
 to me more delightful than his habit of
 getting ,mass daily whenever he marched
 down south1 but why this should be so  
delightful ,i cannot tell4 ,of course   
there is a grace and influence belonging
 to such a custom1 but it is not of that
 ,i am speaking but of the pleasing     
sensation of order and accomplishment   
which attaches to a day one has opened  
by ,mass2 a purely temporal1 and1 for   
all ,i know1 what the monks back at the 
ironworks would have called a carnal    

feeling1 but a source of continual      
comfort to me4 ,let them go their way   
and let me go mine4  ,this comfort ,i   
ascribe to four causes 7just above you  
will find it written that ,i could not  
tell why this should be so1 but what of 
that871 and these causes are3  #a4 ,that
 for half-an-hour just at the opening of
 the day you are silent and recollected1
 and have to put off cares1 interests1  
and passions in the repetition of a     
familiar action4 ,this must certainly be
 a great benefit to the body and give it
 tone4  #b4 ,that the ,mass is a careful
 and rapid ritual4 ,now it is the       
function of all ritual 7as we see in    
games1 social arrangements and so forth7
 to relieve the mind by so much of      
responsibility and initiative and to    
catch you up 7as it were7 into itself1  
leading your life for you during the    
time it lasts4 ,in this way you         
experience a singular repose1 after     
which fallowness ,i am sure one is      
fitter for action and judgement4  #c4   

,that the surroundings incline you to   
good and reasonable thoughts1 and for   
the moment deaden the rasp and jar of   
that busy wickedness which both working 
in one's self and received from others  
is the true source of all human         
miseries4 ,thus the time spent at ,mass 
is like a short repose in a deep and    
well-built library1 into which no sounds
 come and where you feel yourself secure
 against the outer world4  #d4 ,and the 
most important cause of this feeling of 
satisfaction is that you are doing what 
the human race has done for thousands   
upon thousands upon thousands of years4 
,this is a matter of such moment that ,i
 am astonished people hear of it so     
little4 ,whatever is buried right into  
our blood from immemorial habit that we 
must be certain to do if we are to be   
fairly happy 7of course no grown man or 
woman can really be very happy for      
long--but ,i mean reasonably happy71    
and1 what is more important1 decent and 
secure of our souls4 ,thus one should   

from time to time hunt animals1 or at   
the very least shoot at a mark2 one     
should always drink some kind of        
fermented liquor with one's food--and   
especially deeply upon great feast-days2
 one should go on the water from time to
 time2 and one should dance on          
occasions2 and one should sing in       
chorus4 ,for all these things man has   
done since ,god put him into a garden   
and his eyes first became troubled with 
a soul4 ,similarly some teacher or      
ranter or other1 whose name ,i forget1  
said lately one very wise thing at      
least1 which was that every man should  
do a little work with his hands4  ,oh6  
what good philosophy this is1 and how   
much better it would be if rich people1 
instead of raining the influence of     
their rank and spending their money on  
leagues for this or that exceptional    
thing1 were to spend it in converting   
the middle-class to ordinary living and 
to the tradition of the race4 ,indeed1  
if ,i had power for some thirty years ,i

 would see to it that people should be  
allowed to follow their inbred instincts
 in these matters1 and should hunt1     
drink1 sing1 dance1 sail1 and dig2 and  
those that would not should be compelled
 by force4  ,now in the morning ,mass   
you do all that the race needs to do and
 has done for all these ages where      
religion was concerned2 there you have  
the sacred and separate ,enclosure1 the 
,altar1 the ,priest in his ,vestments1  
the set ritual1 the ancient and         
hierarchic tongue1 and all that your    
nature cries out for in the matter of   
worship4  ,from these considerations it 
is easy to understand how put out ,i was
 to find ,mass over on this first       
morning of my pilgrimage4 ,and ,i went  
along the burning road in a very        
ill-humour till ,i saw upon my right1   
beyond a low wall and in a kind of park1
 a house that seemed built on some      
artificial raised ground surrounded by a
 wall1 but this may have been an        
illusion1 the house being really only   

very tall4 ,at any rate ,i drew it1 and 
in the village just beyond it ,i learnt 
something curious about the man that    
owned it4  ,for ,i had gone into a house
 to take a third meal of bread and wine 
and to replenish my bottle when the old 
woman of the house1 who was a kindly    
person1 told me she had just then no    
wine4 ',but1' said she1 ',mr ,so and ,so
 that lives in the big house sells it to
 any one who cares to buy even in the   
smallest quantities1 and you will see   
his shed standing by the side of the    
road4'  ,everything happened just as she
 had said4 ,i came to the big shed by   
the park wall1 and there was a kind of  
counter made of boards1 and several big 
tuns and two men3 one in an apron       
serving1 and the other in a little box  
or compartment writing4 ,i was somewhat 
timid to ask for so little as a quart1  
but the apron man in the most           
businesslike way filled my bottle at a  
tap and asked for fourpence4 ,he was    
willing to talk1 and told me many       

things3 of good years in wine1 of the   
nature of their trade1 of the influence 
of the moon on brewing1 of the          
importance of spigots1 and what not2 but
 when ,i tried to get out of him whether
 the owner were an eccentric private    
gentleman or a merchant that had the    
sense to earn little pennies as well as 
large ones1 ,i could not make him       
understand my meaning2 for his idea of  
rank was utterly different from mine and
 took no account of idleness and luxury 
and daftness1 but was based entirely    
upon money and clothes4 ,moreover we    
were both of us ,republicans1 so the    
matter was of no great moment4          
,courteously saluting ourselves we      
parted1 he remaining to sell wine and ,i
 hobbling to ,rome1 now a little        
painfully and my sack the heavier by a  
quart of wine1 which1 as you probably   
know1 weighs almost exactly two pounds  
and a half4  ,it was by this time close 
upon eleven1 and ,i had long reached the
 stage when some kinds of men begin     

talking of ,dogged ,determination1      
,bull-dog pluck1 the stubborn spirit of 
the ,island race and so forth1 but when 
those who can boast a little of the     
sacred ,french blood are in a mood of   
set despair 7both kinds march on1 and   
the mobility of either infantry is much 
the same71 ,i say ,i had long got to    
this point of exhaustion when it        
occurred to me that ,i should need an   
excellent and thorough meal at midday4  
,but on looking at my map ,i found that 
there was nothing nearer than this town 
of ,charmes that was marked on the      
milestones1 and that was the first place
 ,i should come to in the department of 
the ,vosges4  ,it would take much too   
long to describe the dodges that weary  
men and stiff have recourse to when they
 are at the close of a difficult task3  
how they divide it up in lengths in     
their minds1 how they count numbers1 how
 they begin to solve problems in mental 
arithmetic3 ,i tried them all4 ,then ,i 
thought of a new one1 which is really   

excellent1 and which ,i recommend to the
 whole world4 ,it is to vary the road1  
suddenly taking now the fields1 now the 
river1 but only occasionally the        
turnpike4 ,this last lap was very well  
suited for such a method4 ,the valley   
had become more like a wide and shallow 
trench than ever4 ,the hills on either  
side were low and exactly even4 ,up the 
middle of it went the river1 the canal  
and the road1 and these two last had    
only a field between them2 now broad1   
now narrow4  ,first on the tow-path1    
then on the road1 then on the grass1    
then back on the tow-path1 ,i pieced out
 the last baking mile into ,charmes1    
that lies at the foot of a rather higher
 hill1 and at last was dragging myself  
up the street just as the bell was      
ringing the noon ,angelus2 nor1 however 
tedious you may have found it to read   
this final effort of mine1 can you have 
found it a quarter as wearisome as ,i   
did to walk it2 and surely between      
writer and reader there should be give  

and take1 now the one furnishing the    
entertainment and now the other4  ,the  
delightful thing in ,charmes is its     
name4 ,of this name ,i had indeed been  
thinking as ,i went along the last miles
 of that dusty and deplorable road--that
 a town should be called ',charms'4     
,not but that towns1 if they are left to
 themselves and not hurried1 have a way 
of settling into right names suited to  
the hills about them and recalling their
 own fields4 ,i remember ,sussex1 and as
 ,i remember it ,i must1 if only for    
example1 set down my roll-call of such  
names1 as--,fittleworth1 where the ,inn 
has painted panels2 ,amberley in the    
marshes2 delicate ,fernhurst1 and       
,ditchling under its hill2 ,arundel1    
that is well known to every one2 and    
,climping1 that no one knows1 set on a  
lonely beach and lost at the vague end  
of an impassable road2 and ,barlton1 and
 ,burton1 and ,duncton1 and ,coldwatham1
 that stand under in the shadow and look
 up at the great downs2 and ,petworth1  

where the spire leans sideways2 and     
,timberley1 that the floods make into an
 island2 and ,no ,man's ,land1 where    
first there breaks on you the distant   
sea4 ,i never knew a ,sussex man yet    
but1 if you noted him such a list1 would
 answer3 ',there ,i was on such and such
 a day2 this ,i came to after such and  
such a run2 and that other is my home4' 
,but it is not his recollection alone   
which moves him1 it is sound of the     
names4  ,he feels the accent of them1   
and all the men who live between        
,hind-head and the ,channel know these  
names stand for ,eden2 the noise is     
enough to prove it4 ,so it is also with 
the hidden valleys of the lie de        
,france2 and when you say ,jouy or      
,chevreuse to a man that was born in    
those shadows he grows dreamy--yet they 
are within a walk of ,paris4  ,but the  
wonderful thing about a name like       
,charmes is that it hands down the dead4
 ,for some dead man gave it a keen name 
proceeding from his own immediate       

delight1 and made general what had been 
a private pleasure1 and1 so to speak1   
bequeathed a poem to his town4 ,they say
 the ,arabs do this2 calling one place  
'the rest of the warriors'1 and another 
'the end'1 and another 'the surprise of 
the horses'3 let those who know them    
speak for it4  ,i at least know that in 
the west of the ,cotentin 7a sea-garden7
 old ,danes married to ,gaulish women   
discovered the just epithet1 and that   
you have ',st ,mary on the ,hill' and   
',high ,town under the ,wind' and ',the 
,borough over the ,heath'1 which are    
to-day exactly what their name describes
 them4 ,if you doubt that ,england has  
such descriptive names1 consider the    
great ,truth that at one junction on a  
railway where a mournful desolation of  
stagnant waters and treeless1           
stonewalled fields threatens you with   
experience and awe1 a melancholy porter 
is told off to put his head into your   
carriage and to chant like ,charon1     
',change here for ,ashton under the     

,wood1 ,moreton on the ,marsh1 ,bourton 
on the ,water1 and ,stow in the ,wold4' 
,charmes does not fulfil its name nor   
preserve what its forgotten son found so
 wonderful in it4 ,for at luncheon there
 a great commercial traveller told me   
fiercely that it was chiefly known for  
its breweries1 and that he thought it of
 little account4 ,still even in ,charmes
 ,i found one marvellous corner of a    
renaissance house1 which ,i drew2 but as
 ,i have lost the drawing1 let it go4   
,when ,i came out from the inn of       
,charmes the heat was more terrible than
 ever1 and the prospect of a march in it
 more intolerable4 ,my head hung1 ,i    
went very slowly1 and ,i played with    
cowardly thoughts1 which were really    
7had ,i known it7 good angels4 ,i began 
to look out anxiously for woods1 but saw
 only long whitened wall glaring in the 
sun1 or1 if ever there were trees1 they 
were surrounded by wooden palisades     
which the owners had put there4 ,but in 
a little time 7now ,i had definitely    

yielded to temptation7 ,i found a       
thicket4  ,you must know that if you    
yield to entertaining a temptation1     
there is the opportunity presented to   
you like lightning4 ,a theologian told  
me this1 and it is partly true3 but not 
of ,mammon or ,belphegor1 or whatever   
,devil it is that overlooks the         
,currency 7,i can see his face from     
here73 for how many have yielded to the 
,desire of ,riches and professed        
themselves very willing to revel in     
them1 yet did not get an opportunity    
worth a farthing till they died8 ,like  
those two beggars that ,rabelais tells  
of1 one of whom wished for all the gold 
that would pay for all the merchandise  
that had ever been sold in ,paris since 
its first foundation1 and the other for 
as much gold as would go into all the   
sacks that could be sewn by all the     
needles 7and those of the smallest size7
 that could be crammed into ,notre-,dame
 from the floor to the ceiling1 filling 
the smallest crannies4 ,yet neither had 

a crust that night to rub his gums with4
  ,whatever ,devil it is1 however1 that 
tempts men to repose--and for my part ,i
 believe him to be rather an ,aeon than 
a ,devil3 that is1 a good-natured fellow
 working on his own account neither good
 nor ill--whatever being it is1 it      
certainly suits one's mood1 for ,i never
 yet knew a man determined to be lazy   
that had not ample opportunity afforded 
him1 though he were poorer than the cure
 of ,maigre1 who formed a syndicate to  
sell at a scutcheon a gross such souls  
as were too insignificant to sell       
singly4 ,a man can always find a chance 
for doing nothing as amply and with as  
ecstatic a satisfaction as the world    
allows1 and so to me 7whether it was    
there before ,i cannot tell1 and if it  
came miraculously1 so much the more     
amusing7 appeared this thicket4 ,it was 
to the left of the road2 a stream ran   
through it in a little ravine2 the      
undergrowth was thick beneath its       
birches1 and just beyond1 on the plain  

that bordered it1 were reapers reaping  
in a field4 ,i went into it contentedly 
and slept till evening my third sleep2  
then1 refreshed by the cool wind that   
went before the twilight1 ,i rose and   
took the road again1 but ,i knew ,i     
could not go far4  ,i was now past my   
fortieth mile1 and though the heat had  
gone1 yet my dead slumber had raised a  
thousand evils4 ,i had stiffened to     
lameness1 and had fallen into the mood  
when a man desires companionship and the
 talk of travellers rather than the open
 plain4 ,but 7unless ,i went backward1  
which was out of the question7 there was
 nowhere to rest in for a long time to  
come4 ,the next considerable village was
 ,thayon1 which is called ',thayon of   
the ,vosges'1 because one is nearing the
 big hills1 and thither therefore ,i    
crawled mile after mile4  ,but my heart 
sank4 ,first my foot limped1 and then my
 left knee oppressed me with a sudden   
pain4 ,i attempted to relieve it by     
leaning on my right leg1 and so         

discovered a singular new law in        
medicine which ,i will propose to the   
scientists4 ,for when those excellent   
men have done investigating the         
twirligigs of the brain to find out     
where the soul is1 let them consider    
this much more practical matter1 that   
you cannot relieve the pain in one limb 
without driving it into some other2 and 
so ,i exchanged twinges in the left knee
 for a horrible great pain in the right4
 ,i sat down on a bridge1 and wondered2 
,i saw before me hundreds upon hundreds 
of miles1 painful and exhausted1 and ,i 
asked heaven if this was necessary to a 
pilgrimage4 7,but1 as you shall hear1 a 
pilgrimage is not wholly subject to     
material laws1 for when ,i came to      
,epinal next day ,i went into a shop    
which1 whatever it was to the profane1  
appeared to me as a chemist's shop1     
where ,i bought a bottle of some stuff  
called 'balm'1 and rubbing myself with  
it was instantly cured47  ,then ,i      
looked down from the bridge across the  

plain1 and saw1 a long way off beyond   
the railway1 the very ugly factory      
village of ,thayon1 and reached it at   
last1 not without noticing that the     
people were standing branches of trees  
before their doors1 and the little      
children noisily helping to tread the   
stems firmly into the earth4 ,they told 
me it was for the coming of ,corpus     
,christi1 and so proved to me that      
religion1 which is as old as these      
valleys1 would last out their inhabiting
 men4 ,even here1 in a place made by a  
great laundry1 a modern industrial row  
of tenements1 all the world was putting 
out green branches to welcome the       
,procession and the ,sacrament and the  
,priest4 ,comforted by this evident     
refutation of the sad nonsense ,i had   
read in ,cities from the pen of         
intellectuals--nonsense ,i had known to 
be nonsense1 but that had none the less 
tarnished my mind--,i happily entered   
the inn1 ate and drank1 praised ,god1   
and lay down to sleep in a great bed4 ,i

 mingled with my prayers a firm         
intention of doing the ordinary things1 
and not attempting impossibilities1 such
 as marching by night1 nor following out
 any other vanities of this world4      
,then1 having cast away all theories of 
how a pilgrimage should be conducted1   
and broken five or six vows1 ,i slept   
steadily till the middle of the morning4
 ,i had covered fifty miles in          
twenty-five hours1 and if you imagine   
this to be but two miles an hour1 you   
must have a very mathematical mind1 and 
know little of the realities of living4 
,i woke and threw my shutters open to   
the bright morning and the masterful    
sun1 took my coffee1 and set out once   
more towards ,epinal1 the stronghold a  
few miles away--delighted to see that my
 shadow was so short and the road so hot
 to the feet and eyes4 ,for ,i said1    
',this at least proves that ,i am doing 
like all the world1 and walking during  
the day4' ,it was but a couple of hours 
to the great garrison4 ,in a little time

 ,i passed a battery4 ,then a captain   
went by on a horse1 with his orderly    
behind him4  ,where the deep lock stands
 by the roadside--the only suggestion of
 coolness--,i first heard the bugles2   
then ,i came into the long street and   
determined to explore ,epinal1 and to   
cast aside all haste and folly4  ,there 
are many wonderful things in ,epinal4   
,as1 for instance1 that it was evidently
 once1 like ,paris and ,melun and a     
dozen other strongholds of the ,gauls1  
an island city4 ,for the rivers of      
,france are full of long1 habitable     
islands1 and these were once the        
rallying-places of clans4 ,then there   
are the forts which are placed on high  
hills round the town and make it even   
stronger than ,toul2 for ,epinal stands 
just where the hills begin to be very   
high4 ,again1 it is the capital of a    
mountain district1 and this character   
always does something peculiar and      
impressive to a town4 ,you may watch its
 effect in ,grenoble1 in little         

,aubusson1 and1 rather less1 in ,geneva4
  ,for in such towns three quite        
different kinds of men meet4 ,first     
there are the old plain-men1 who despise
 the highlanders and think themselves   
much grander and more civilized2 these  
are the burgesses4 ,then there are the  
peasants and wood-cutters1 who come in  
from the hill-country to market1 and who
 are suspicious of the plain-men and yet
 proud to depend upon a real town with a
 bishop and paved streets4 ,lastly1     
there are the travellers1 who come there
 to enjoy the mountains and to make the 
city a base for their excursions1 and   
these love the hill-men and think they  
understand them1 and they despise the   
plain-men for being so middle-class as  
to lord it over the hill-men3 but in    
truth this third class1 being outsiders1
 are equally hated and despised by both 
the others1 and there is a combination  
against them and they are exploited4    
,and there are many other things in     
which ,epinal is wonderful1 but in      

nothing is it more wonderful than in its
 great church4  ,i suppose that the high
 ,dukes of ,burgundy and ,lorraine and  
the rich men from ,flanders and the     
,house of ,luxemburg and the rest1 going
 to ,rome1 the centre of the world1 had 
often to pass up this valley of the     
,moselle1 which 7as ,i have said7 is a  
road leading to ,rome1 and would halt at
 fipinal and would at times give money  
for its church2 with this result1 that  
the church belongs to every imaginable  
period and is built anyhow1 in twenty   
styles1 but stands as a whole a most    
enduring record of past forms and of    
what has pleased the changing mind when 
it has attempted to worship in stone4   
,thus the transept is simply an old     
square barn of rough stone1 older1 ,i   
suppose1 than ,charlemagne and without  
any ornament4 ,in its lower courses ,i  
thought ,i even saw the ,roman brick4   
,it had once two towers1 northern and   
southern2 the southern is ruined and has
 a wooden roof1 the northern remains and

 is just a pinnacle or minaret too      
narrow for bells4  ,then the apse is    
pure and beautiful ,gothic of the       
fourteenth century1 with very tall and  
fluted windows like single prayers4 ,the
 ambulatory is perfectly modern1 ,gothic
 also1 and in the manner that ,viollet  
le ,duc in ,france and ,pugin in        
,england have introduced to bring us    
back to our origins and to remind us of 
the place whence all we ,europeans came4
 ,again1 this apse and ambulatory are   
not perpendicular to the transept1 but  
set askew1 a thing known in small       
churches and said to be a symbol1 but   
surely very rare in large ones4 ,the    
western door is purely ,romanesque1 and 
has ,byzantine ornaments and a great    
deep round door4 ,to match it there is a
 northern door still deeper1 with rows  
and rows of inner arches full of saints1
 angels1 devils1 and flowers2 and this  
again is not straight1 but so built that
 the arches go aslant1 as you sometimes 
see railway bridges when they cross     

roads at an angle4 ,finally1 there is a 
central tower which is neither ,gothic  
nor ,romanesque but pure ,italian1 a    
loggia1 with splendid round airy windows
 taking up all its walls1 and with a    
flat roof and eaves4 ,this some one     
straight from the south must have put on
 as a memory of his wanderings4  ,the   
barn-transept is crumbling old grey     
stone1 the ,romanesque porches are red1 
like ,strasburg1 the ,gothic apse is old
 white as our cathedrals are1 the modern
 ambulatory is of pure white stone just 
quarried1 and thus colours as well as   
shapes are mingled up and different in  
this astonishing building4  ,i drew it  
from that point of view in the          
market-place to the north-east which    
shows most of these contrasts at once1  
and you must excuse the extreme         
shakiness of the sketch1 for it was     
taken as best ,i could on an apple-cart 
with my book resting on the             
apples--there was no other desk4 ,nor   
did the apple-seller mind my doing it1  

but on the contrary gave me advice and  
praise saying such things as--          
',excellent2 you have caught the angle  
of the apse444 ,come now1 darken the    
edge of that pillar444 ,i fear you have 
made the tower a little confused1' and  
so forth4  ,i offered to buy a few      
apples off him1 but he gave me three    
instead1 and these1 as they incommoded  
me1 ,i gave later to a little child4    
,indeed the people of ,epinal1 not      
taking me for a traveller but simply for
 a wandering poor man1 were very genial 
to me1 and the best good they did me was
 curing my lameness4 ,for1 seeing an    
apothecary's shop as ,i was leaving the 
town1 ,i went in and said to the        
apothecary--  ',my knee has swelled and 
is very painful1 and ,i have to walk    
far2 perhaps you can tell me how to cure
 it1 or give me something that will4'   
',there is nothing easier1' he said2 ',i
 have here a specific for the very thing
 you complain of4'  ,with this he pulled
 out a round bottle1 on the label of    

which was printed in great letters1     
',,balm'4  ',you have but to rub your   
knee strongly and long with this        
ointment of mine1' he said1 'and you    
will be cured4' ,nor did he mention any 
special form of words to be repeated as 
one did it4  ,everything happened just  
as he had said4 ,when ,i was some little
 way above the town ,i sat down on a low
 wall and rubbed my knee strongly and   
long with this balm1 and the pain       
instantly disappeared4 ,then1 with a    
heart renewed by this prodigy1 ,i took  
the road again and began walking very   
rapidly and high1 swinging on to ,rome4 
,the ,moselle above fipinal takes a bend
 outwards1 and it seemed to me that a   
much shorter way to the next village    
7which is called ,archettes1 or 'the    
very little arches'1 because there are  
no arches there7 would be right over the
 hill round which the river curved4     
,this error came from following private 
judgement and not heeding tradition1    
here represented by the highroad which  

closely follows the river4 ,for though a
 straight tunnel to ,archettes would    
have saved distance1 yet a climb over   
that high hill and through the pathless 
wood on its summit was folly4  ,i went  
at first over wide1 sloping fields1 and 
some hundred feet above the valley ,i   
crossed a little canal4 ,it was made on 
a very good system1 and ,i recommend it 
to the riparian owners of the ,upper    
,wye1 which needs it4 ,they take the    
water from the ,moselle 7which is here  
broad and torrential and falls in steps1
 running over a stony bed with little   
swirls and rapids71 and they lead it    
along at an even gradient1 averaging1 as
 it were1 the uneven descent of the     
river4 ,in this way they have a         
continuous stream running through fields
 that would otherwise be bare and dry1  
but that are thus nourished into        
excellent pastures4  ,above these fields
 the forest went up steeply4 ,i had not 
pushed two hundred yards into its gloom 
and confusion when ,i discovered that ,i

 had lost my way4 ,it was necessary to  
take the only guide ,i had and to go    
straight upwards wherever the line of   
greatest inclination seemed to lie1 for 
that at least would take me to a summit 
and probably to a view of the valley2   
whereas if ,i tried to make for the     
shoulder of the hill 7which had been my 
first intention7 ,i might have wandered 
about till nightfall4  ,it was an old   
man in a valley called the ,curicante in
 ,colorado that taught me this1 if one  
lost one's way going upwards to make at 
once along the steepest line1 but if one
 lost it going downwards1 to listen for 
water and reach it and follow it4 ,i    
wish ,i had space to tell all about this
 old man1 who gave me hospitality out   
there4 ,he was from ,new ,england and   
was lonely1 and had brought out at great
 expense a musical box to cheer him4 ,of
 this he was very proud1 and though it  
only played four silly hymn tunes1 yet1 
as he and ,i listened to it1 heavy tears
 came into his eyes and light tears into

 mine1 because these tunes reminded him 
of his home4 ,but ,i have no time to do 
more than mention him1 and must return  
to my forest4  ,i climbed1 then1 over   
slippery pine needles and under the     
charged air of those trees1 which was   
full of dim1 slanting light from the    
afternoon sun1 till1 nearly at the      
summit1 ,i came upon a clearing which ,i
 at once recognized as a military road1 
leading to what we used to call a 'false
 battery'1 that is1 a dug-out with      
embrasures into which guns could be     
placed but in which no guns were4 ,for  
ever since the ,french managed to       
produce a really mobile heavy gun they  
have constructed any amount of such     
auxiliary works between the permanent   
forts4 ,these need no fixed guns to be  
emplaced1 since the ,french can use now 
one such parapet1 now another1 as       
occasion serves1 and the advantage is   
that your guns are never useless1 but   
can always be brought round where they  
are needed1 and that thus six guns will 

do more work than twenty used to do4    
,this false battery was on the brow of  
the hill1 and when ,i reached it ,i     
looked down the slope1 over the         
brushwood that hid the wire             
entanglements1 and there was the whole  
valley of the ,moselle at my feet4  ,as 
this was the first really great height1 
so this was the first really great view 
that ,i met with on my pilgrimage4 ,i   
drew it carefully1 piece by piece1      
sitting there a long time in the        
declining sun and noting all ,i saw4    
,archettes1 just below2 the flat valley 
with the river winding from side to     
side2 the straight rows of poplar trees2
 the dark pines on the hills1 and the   
rounded mountains rising farther and    
higher into the distance until the last 
,i saw1 far off to the south-east1 must 
have been the ,ballon d',alsace at the  
sources of the ,moselle--the hill that  
marked the first full stage in my       
journey and that overlooked             
,switzerland4  ,indeed1 this is the     

peculiar virtue of walking to a far     
place1 and especially of walking there  
in a straight line1 that one gets these 
visions of the world from hill-tops4    
,when ,i call up for myself this great  
march ,i see it all mapped out in       
landscapes1 each of which ,i caught from
 some mountain1 and each of which joins 
on to that before and to that after it1 
till ,i can piece together the whole    
road4 ,the view here from the ,hill of  
,archettes1 the view from the ,ballon   
d',alsace1 from ,glovelier ,hill1 from  
the ,weissenstein1 from the ,brienzer   
,grat1 from the ,grimsel1 from above    
,bellinzona1 from the ,principessa1 from
 ,tizzano1 from the ridge of the        
,apennines1 from the ,wall of ,siena1   
from ,san ,quirico1 from ,radicofani1   
from ,san ,lorenzo1 from ,montefiascone1
 from above ,viterbo1 from ,roncigleone1
 and at last from that lift in the ,via 
,cassia1 whence one suddenly perceives  
the ,city4 ,they unroll themselves all  
in their order till ,i can see ,europe1 

and ,rome shining at the end4  ,but you 
who go in railways are necessarily shut 
up in long valleys and even sometimes by
 the walls of the earth4 ,even those who
 bicycle or drive see these sights but  
rarely and with no consecution1 since   
roads also avoid climbing save where    
they are forced to it1 as over certain  
passes4 ,it is only by following the    
straight line onwards that any one can  
pass from ridge to ridge and have this  
full picture of the way he has been4    
,so much for views4 ,i clambered down   
the hill to ,archettes and saw1 almost  
the first house1 a swinging board ',at  
the sign of the ,trout of the ,vosges'1 
and as it was now evening ,i turned in  
there to dine4  ,two things ,i noticed  
at once when ,i sat down to meat4       
,first1 that the people seated at that  
inn table were of the middle-class of   
society1 and secondly1 that ,i1 though  
of their rank1 was an impediment to     
their enjoyment4 ,for to sleep in woods1
 to march some seventy miles1 the latter

 part in a dazzling sun1 and to end by  
sliding down an earthy steep into the   
road1 stamps a man with all that this   
kind of people least desire to have     
thrust upon them4 ,and those who blame  
the middle-class for their conventions  
in such matters1 and who profess to be  
above the care for cleanliness and      
clothes and social ritual which marks   
the middle-class1 are either anarchists 
by nature1 or fools who take what is but
 an effect of their wealth for a natural
 virtue4  ,i say it roundly2 if it were 
not for the punctiliousness of the      
middle-class in these matters all our   
civilization would go to pieces4 ,they  
are the conservators and the maintainers
 of the standard1 the moderators of     
,europe1 the salt of society4 ,for the  
kind of man who boasts that he does not 
mind dirty clothes or roughing it1 is   
either a man who cares nothing for all  
that civilization has built up and who  
rather hates it1 or else 7and this is   
much more common7 he is a rich man1 or  

accustomed to live among the rich1 and  
can afford to waste energy and stuff    
because he feels in a vague way that    
more clothes can always be bought1 that 
at the end of his vagabondism he can get
 excellent dinners1 and that ,london and
 ,paris are full of luxurious baths and 
barber shops4 ,of all the corrupting    
effects of wealth there is none worse   
than this1 that it makes the wealthy    
7and their parasites7 think in some way 
divine1 or at least a lovely character  
of the mind1 what is in truth nothing   
but their power of luxurious living4    
,heaven keep us all from great          
riches--,i mean from very great riches4 
,now the middle-class cannot afford to  
buy new clothes whenever they feel      
inclined1 neither can they end up a     
jaunt by a ,turkish bath and a great    
feast with wine4 ,so their care is      
always to preserve intact what they     
happen to have1 to exceed in nothing1 to
 study cleanliness1 order1 decency1     
sobriety1 and a steady temper1 and they 

fence all this round and preserve it in 
the only way it can be preserved1 to    
wit1 with conventions1 and they are     
quite right4  ,i find it very hard to   
keep up to the demands of these my      
colleagues1 but ,i recognize that they  
are on the just side in the quarrel2 let
 none of them go about pretending that  
,i have not defended them in this book4 
,so ,i thought of how ,i should put     
myself right with these people4 ,i saw  
that an elaborate story 7as1 that ,i had
 been set upon by a tramp who forced me 
to change clothes3 that ,i dressed thus 
for a bet3 that ,i was an officer       
employed as a spy1 and was about to     
cross the frontier into ,germany in the 
guise of a labourer3 that my doctor     
forbade me to shave--or any other such  
rhodomontade73 ,i saw1 ,i say1 that by  
venturing upon any such excuses ,i might
 unwittingly offend some other unknown  
canon of theirs deeper and more sacred  
than their rule on clothes2 it had      
happened to me before now to do this in 

the course of explanations4  ,so ,i took
 another method1 and said1 as ,i sat    
down--  ',pray excuse this appearance of
 mine4 ,i have had a most unfortunate   
adventure in the hills1 losing my way   
and being compelled to sleep out all    
night1 nor can ,i remain to get tidy1 as
 it is essential that ,i should reach my
 luggage 7which is at ,remiremont7      
before midnight4'  ,i took great care to
 pay for my glass of white wine before  
dinner with a bank-note1 and ,i showed  
my sketches to my neighbour to make an  
impression4  ,i also talked of foreign  
politics1 of the countries ,i had seen1 
of ,england especially1 with such minute
 exactitude that their disgust was soon 
turned to admiration4  ,the hostess of  
this inn was delicate and courteous to a
 degree1 and at every point attempting  
to overreach her guests1 who1 as        
regularly as she attacked1 countered    
with astonishing dexterity4  ,thus she  
would say3 ',perhaps the joint would    
taste better if it were carved on the   

table2 or do the gentlemen prefer it    
carved aside8'  ,to which a banker      
opposite me said in a deep voice3 ',we  
prefer1 madam1 to have it carved aside4'
  ,or she would put her head in and say3
 ',i can recommend our excellent beer4  
,it is really preferable to this local  
wine4'  ,and my neighbour1 a tourist1   
answered with decision3 ',madame1 we    
find your wine excellent4 ,it could not 
be bettered4'  ,nor could she get round 
them on a single point1 and ,i pitied   
her so much that ,i bought bread and    
wine off her to console her1 and ,i let 
her overcharge me1 and went out into the
 afterglow with her benediction1        
followed also by the farewells of the   
middle-class1 who were now taking their 
coffee at little tables outside the     
house4  ,i went hard up the road to     
,remiremont4 ,the night darkened4 ,i    
reached ,remiremont at midnight1 and    
feeling very wakeful ,i pushed on up the
 valley under great woods of pines2 and 
at last1 diverging up a little path1 ,i 

settled on a clump of trees sheltered   
and1 as ,i thought1 warm1 and lay down  
there to sleep till morning2 but1 on the
 contrary1 ,i lay awake a full hour in  
the fragrance and on the level carpet of
 the pine needles looking up through the
 dark branches at the waning moon1 which
 had just risen1 and thinking of how    
suitable were pine-trees for a man to   
sleep under4  ',the beech1' ,i thought1 
'is a good tree to sleep under1 for     
nothing will grow there1 and there is   
always dry beech-mast2 the yew would be 
good if it did not grow so low1 but1 all
 in all1 pine-trees are the best4' ,i   
also considered that the worst tree to  
sleep under would be the upas tree4     
,these thoughts so nearly bordered on   
nothing that1 though ,i was not sleepy1 
yet ,i fell asleep4 ,long before day1   
the moon being still lustrous against a 
sky that yet contained a few faint      
stars1 ,i awoke shivering with cold4    
,in sleep there is something diminishes 
us4 ,this every one has noticed2 for who

 ever suffered a nightmare awake1 or    
felt in full consciousness those awful  
impotencies which lie on the other side 
of slumber8 ,when we lie down we give   
ourselves voluntarily1 yet by the force 
of nature1 to powers before which we    
melt and are nothing4 ,and among the    
strange frailties of sleep ,i have      
noticed cold4  ,here was a warm place   
under the pines where ,i could rest in  
great comfort on pine needles still full
 of the day2 a covering for the beasts  
underground that love an even heat--the 
best of floors for a tired man4  ,even  
the slight wind that blew under the     
waning moon was warm1 and the stars were
 languid and not brilliant1 as though   
everything were full of summer1 and ,i  
knew that the night would be short2 a   
midsummer night2 and ,i had lived half  
of it before attempting repose4 ,yet1 ,i
 say1 ,i woke shivering and also        
disconsolate1 needing companionship4 ,i 
pushed down through tall1 rank grass1   
drenched with dew1 and made my way      

across the road to the bank of the      
river4 ,by the time ,i reached it the   
dawn began to occupy the east4  ,for a  
long time ,i stood in a favoured place1 
just above a bank of trees that lined   
the river1 and watched the beginning of 
the day1 because every slow increase of 
light promised me sustenance4  ,the     
faint1 uncertain glimmer that seemed not
 so much to shine through the air as to 
be part of it1 took all colour out of   
the woods and fields and the high slopes
 above me1 leaving them planes of grey  
and deeper grey4 ,the woods near me were
 a silhouette1 black and motionless1    
emphasizing the east beyond4  ,the river
 was white and dead1 not even a steam   
rose from it1 but out of the further    
pastures a gentle mist had lifted up and
 lay all even along the flanks of the   
hills1 so that they rose out of it1     
indistinct at their bases1 clear-cut    
above against the brightening sky2 and  
the farther they were the more their    
mouldings showed in the early light1 and

 the most distant edges of all caught   
the morning4  ,at this wonderful sight  
,i gazed for quite half-an-hour without 
moving1 and took in vigour from it as a 
man takes in food and wine4 ,when ,i    
stirred and looked about me it had      
become easy to see the separate grasses2
 a bird or two had begun little         
interrupted chirrups in the bushes1 a   
day-breeze broke from up the valley     
ruffling the silence1 the moon was dead 
against the sky1 and the stars had      
disappeared4 ,in a solemn mood ,i       
regained the road and turned my face    
towards the neighbouring sources of the 
river4  ,i easily perceived with each   
laborious mile that ,i was approaching  
the end of my companionship with the    
,moselle1 which had become part of my   
adventure for the last eighty miles4 ,it
 was now a small stream1 mountainous and
 uncertain1 though in parts still placid
 and slow4 ,there appeared also that    
which ,i take to be an infallible       
accompaniment of secluded glens and of  

the head waters of rivers 7however      
canalized or even overbuilt they are71  
,i mean a certain roughness all about   
them and the stout protest of the       
hill-men3 their stone cottages and their
 lonely paths off the road4  ,so it was 
here4 ,the hills had grown much higher  
and come closer to the river-plain2 up  
the gullies ,i would catch now and then 
an aged and uncouth bridge with a hut   
near it all built of enduring stone3    
part of the hills4  ,then again there   
were present here and there on the spurs
 lonely chapels1 and these in ,catholic 
countries are a mark of the mountains   
and of the end of the riches of a       
valley4 ,why this should be so ,i cannot
 tell4 ,you find them also sometimes in 
forests1 but especially in the lesser   
inlets of the sea-coast1 and1 as ,i have
 said1 here in the upper parts of       
valleys in the great hills4 ,in such    
shrines ,mass is to be said but rarely1 
sometimes but once a year in a special  
commemoration4 ,the rest of the time    

they stand empty1 and some of the older 
or simpler1 one might take for ruins4   
,they mark everywhere some strong       
emotion of supplication1 thanks1 or     
reverence1 and they anchor these wild   
places to their own past1 making them up
 in memories what they lack in          
multitudinous life4  ,i broke my fast on
 bread and wine at a place where the    
road crosses the river1 and then ,i     
determined ,i would have hot coffee as  
well1 and seeing in front of me a       
village called ,rupt1 which means 'the  
cleft' 7for there is here a great cleft 
in the hillside71 ,i went up to it and  
had my coffee4  ,then ,i discovered a   
singular thing1 that the people of the  
place are tired of making up names and  
give nothing its peculiar baptism4 ,this
 ,i thought really very wonderful       
indeed1 for ,i have noticed wherever ,i 
have been that in proportion as men are 
remote and have little to distract them1
 in that proportion they produce a great
 crop of peculiar local names for every 

stream1 reach1 tuft1 hummock1 glen1     
copse1 and gully for miles around2 and  
often when ,i have lost my way and asked
 it of a peasant in some lonely part ,i 
have grown impatient as he wandered on  
about 'leaving on your left the stone we
 call the ,nuggin1 and bearing round    
what some call ,holy ,dyke till you come
 to what they call ,mary's ,ferry'444   
and so forth4 ,long-shoremen and the    
riparian inhabitants of dreadful and    
lonely rivers near the sea have just    
such a habit1 and ,i have in my mind's  
eye now a short stretch of tidal water  
in which there are but five shoals1 yet 
they all have names1 and are called     
',the ,house1 the ,knowle1 ,goodman's   
,plot1 ,mall1 and the ,patch4'  ,but    
here in ,rupt1 to my extreme            
astonishment1 there was no such         
universal and human instinct4 ,for ,i   
said to the old man who poured me out my
 coffee under the trellis 7it was full  
morning1 the sun was well up1 and the   
clouds were all dappled high above the  

tops of the mountains73 ',father1 what  
do you call this hill8' ,and with that  
,i pointed to a very remarkable hill and
 summit that lie sheer above the        
village4  ',that1' he said1 'is called  
the hill over above ,rupt4'  ',yes1 of  
course1' ,i said1 'but what is its      
name8'  ',that is its name1' he         
answered4  ,and he was quite right1 for 
when ,i looked at my map1 there it was  
printed1 ',hill above ,rupt'4 ,i thought
 how wearisome it would be if this      
became a common way of doing things1 and
 if one should call the ,thames 'the    
,river of ,london'1 and ,essex 'the     
,north side'1 and ,kent 'the ,south     
side'2 but considering that this        
fantastic method was only indulged in by
 one wretched village1 ,i released      
myself from fear1 relegated such horrors
 to the colonies1 and took the road     
again4  ,all this upper corner of the   
valley is a garden4 ,it is bound in on  
every side from the winds1 it is closed 
at the end by the great mass of the     

,ballon d',alsace1 its floor is smooth  
and level1 its richness is used to feed 
grass and pasturage1 and knots of trees 
grow about it as though they had been   
planted to please the eye4  ,nothing can
 take from the sources of rivers their  
character of isolation and repose4 ,here
 what are afterwards to become the      
influences of the plains are nurtured   
and tended as though in an orchard1 and 
the future life of a whole fruitful     
valley with its regal towns is          
determined4 ,something about these      
places prevents ingress or spoliation4  
,they will endure no settlements save of
 peasants2 the waters are too young to  
be harnessed2 the hills forbid an easy  
commerce with neighbours4 ,throughout   
the world ,i have found the heads of    
rivers to be secure places of silence   
and content4 ,and as they are themselves
 a kind of youth1 the early home of all 
that rivers must at last become--,i mean
 special ways of building and a separate
 state of living1 a local air and a     

tradition of history1 for rivers are    
always the makers of provinces--so they 
bring extreme youth back to one1 and    
these upper glens of the world steep one
 in simplicity and childhood4  ,it was  
my delight to lie upon a bank of the    
road and to draw what ,i saw before me1 
which was the tender stream of the      
,moselle slipping through fields quite  
flat and even and undivided by fences2  
its banks had here a strange effect of  
,nature copying man's art3 they seemed a
 park1 and the river wound through it   
full of the positive innocence that     
attaches to virgins3 it nourished and   
was guarded by trees4  ,there was about 
that scene something of creation and of 
a beginning1 and as ,i drew it1 it gave 
me like a gift the freshness of the     
first experiences of living and filled  
me with remembered springs4 ,i mused    
upon the birth of rivers1 and how they  
were persons and had a name--were kings1
 and grew strong and ruled great        
countries1 and how at last they reached 

the sea4  ,but while ,i was thinking of 
these things1 and seeing in my mind a   
kind of picture of ,the ,river ,valley1 
and of men clustering around their home 
stream1 and of its ultimate vast plains 
on either side1 and of the white line of
 the sea beyond all1 a woman passed me4 
,she was very ugly1 and was dressed in  
black4 ,her dress was stiff and shining1
 and1 as ,i imagined1 valuable4 ,she had
 in her hand a book known to the ,french
 as ',the ,roman ,parishioner'1 which is
 a prayer-book4 ,her hair was hidden in 
a stiff cap or bonnet2 she walked       
rapidly1 with her eyes on the ground4   
,when ,i saw this sight it reminded me  
suddenly1 and ,i cried out profanely1   
',devil take me6  ,it is ,corpus        
,christi1 and my third day out4 ,it     
would be a wicked pilgrimage if ,i did  
not get ,mass at last4' ,for my first   
day 7if you remember7 ,i had slept in a 
wood beyond ,mass-time1 and my second   
7if you remember7 ,i had slept in a bed4
 ,but this third day1 a great ,feast    

into the bargain1 ,i was bound to hear  
,mass1 and this woman hurrying along to 
the next village proved that ,i was not 
too late4  ,so ,i hurried in her wake   
and came to the village1 and went into  
the church1 which was very full1 and    
came down out of it 7the ,mass was low  
and short--they are a ,christian people7
 through an avenue of small trees and   
large branches set up in front of the   
houses to welcome the procession that   
was to be held near noon4 ,at the foot  
of the street was an inn where ,i       
entered to eat1 and finding there       
another man--,i take him to have been a 
shopkeeper--,i determined to talk       
politics1 and began as follows3  ',have 
you any anti-,semitism in your town8'   
',it is not my town1' he said1 'but     
there is anti-,semitism4 ,it            
flourishes4'  ',why then8' ,i asked4    
',how many ,jews have you in your town8'
  ,he said there were seven4  ',but1'   
said ,i1 'seven families of ,jews--'    
',there are not seven families1' he     

interrupted2 'there are seven ,jews all 
told4 ,there are but two families1 and  
,i am reckoning in the children4 ,the   
servants are ,christians4'  ',why1' said
 ,i1 'that is only just and proper1 that
 the ,jewish families from beyond the   
frontier should have local ,christian   
people to wait on them and do their     
bidding4 ,but what ,i was going to say  
was that so very few ,jews seem to me an
 insufficient fuel to fire the          
anti-,semites4 ,how does their opinion  
flourish8'  ',in this way1' he answered4
 ',the ,jews1 you see1 ridicule our     
young men for holding such superstitions
 as the ,catholic4 ,our young men1 thus 
brought to book and made to feel        
irrational1 admit the justice of the    
ridicule1 but nourish a hatred secretly 
for those who have exposed their folly4 
,therefore they feel a standing grudge  
against the ,jews4'  ,when he had given 
me this singular analysis of that part  
of the politics of the mountains1 he    
added1 after a short silence1 the       

following remarkable phrase--  ',for my 
part ,i am a liberal1 and would have    
each go his own way3 the ,catholic to   
his ,mass1 the ,jew to his ,sacrifice4' 
,i then rose from my meal1 saluted him1 
and went musing up the valley road1     
pondering upon what it could be that the
 ,jews sacrificed in this remote        
borough1 but ,i could not for the life  
of me imagine what it was1 though ,i    
have had a great many ,jews among my    
friends4  ,i was now arrived at the head
 of this lovely vale1 at the sources of 
the river ,moselle and the base of the  
great mountain the ,ballon d',alsace1   
which closes it in like a wall at the   
end of a lane4 ,for some miles past the 
hills had grown higher and higher upon  
either side1 the valley floor narrower1 
the torrent less abundant2 there now    
stood up before me the marshy slopes and
 the enormous forests of pine that      
forbid a passage south4  ,up through    
these the main road has been pierced1   
tortuous and at an even gradient mile   

after mile to the very top of the hill2 
for the ,ballon d',alsace is so shaped  
that it is impossible for the ,moselle  
valley to communicate with the ,gap of  
,belfort save by some track right over  
its summit4 ,for it is a mountain with  
spurs like a star1 and where mountains  
of this kind block the end of main      
valleys it becomes necessary for the    
road leading up and out of the valley to
 go over their highest point1 since any 
other road over the passes or shoulders 
would involve a second climb to reach   
the country beyond4 ,the reason of this1
 my little map here1 where the dark     
stands for the valley and the light for 
the high places1 will show better than a
 long description4 ,not that this map is
 of the ,ballon d',alsace in particular1
 but only of the type of hill ,i mean4  
,since1 in crossing a range1 it is      
usually possible to find a low point    
suitable for surmounting it1 such summit
 roads are rare1 but when one does get  
them they are the finest travel in the  

world1 for they furnish at one point    
7that is1 at the summit7 what ordinary  
roads going through passes can never    
give you3 a moment of domination4 ,from 
their climax you look over the whole    
world1 and you feel your journey to be  
adventurous and your advance to have    
taken some great definite step from one 
province and people to another4  ,i     
would not be bound by the exaggerated   
zig-zags of the road1 which had been    
built for artillery1 and rose at an easy
 slope4 ,i went along the bed of the    
dell before me and took the forest by a 
little path that led straight upward1   
and when the path failed1 my way was    
marked by the wire of the telegraph that
 crosses to ,belfort4 ,as ,i rose ,i saw
 the forest before me grow grander4 ,the
 pine branches came down from the trunks
 with a greater burden and majesty in   
their sway1 the trees took on an        
appearance of solemnity1 and the whole  
rank that faced me--for here the woods  
come to an even line and stand like an  

army arrested upon a downward march --  
seemed something unusual and gigantic4  
,nothing more helped this impression of 
awe than the extreme darkness beneath   
those aged growths1 and the change in   
the sky that introduced my entry into   
the silence and perfume of so vast a    
temple4 ,great clouds1 so charged with  
rain that you would have thought them   
lower than the hills 7and yet just      
missing their tops71 came covering me   
like a tumbled roof and gathered all    
around2 the heat of the day waned       
suddenly in their shade3 it seemed      
suddenly as though summer was over or as
 though the mountains demanded an       
uncertain summer of their own1 and shot 
the sunshine with the chill of their    
heights4 ,a little wind ran along the   
grass and died again4 ,as ,i gained the 
darkness of the first trees1 rain was   
falling4  ,the silence of the interior  
wood was enhanced by a bare drip of     
water from the boughs that stood out    
straight and tangled ,i know not how far

 above me4  ,its gloom was rendered more
 tremendous by the half-light and       
lowering of the sky which the ceiling of
 branches concealed4 ,height1 stillness1
 and a sort of expectancy controlled the
 memories of the place1 and ,i passed   
silently and lightly between the high   
columns of the trees from night 7as it  
seemed7 through a kind of twilight      
forward to a near night beyond4 ,on     
every side the perspective of these bare
 innumerable shafts1 each standing apart
 in order1 purple and fragrant1 merged  
into recesses of distance where all     
light disappeared1 yet as ,i advanced   
the slight gloaming still surrounded me1
 as did the stillness framed in the drip
 of water1 and beneath my feet was the  
level carpet of the pine needles        
deadening and making distant every tiny 
noise4 ,had not the trees been so much  
greater and more enduring than my own   
presence1 and had not they overwhelmed  
me by their regard1 ,i should have felt 
afraid4 ,as it was ,i pushed upward     

through their immovable host in some    
such catching of the breath as men have 
when they walk at night straining for a 
sound1 and ,i felt myself to be         
continually in a hidden companionship4  
,when ,i came to the edge of this       
haunted forest it ceased as suddenly as 
it had begun4 ,i left behind me such a  
rank of trees aligned as ,i had entered 
thousands of feet below1 and ,i saw     
before me1 stretching shapely up to the 
sky1 the round dome-like summit of the  
mountain--a great field of grass4 ,it   
was already evening2 and1 as though the 
tall trees had withdrawn their virtue   
from me1 my fatigue suddenly came upon  
me4 ,my feet would hardly bear me as ,i 
clambered up the last hundred feet and  
looked down under the rolling clouds1   
lit from beneath by the level light of  
evening1 to the three countries that met
 at my feet4  ,for the ,ballon d',alsace
 is the knot of ,europe1 and from that  
gathering up and ending of the ,vosges  
you look down upon three divisions of   

men4 ,to the right of you are the       
,gauls4 ,i do not mean that mixed breed 
of ,lorraine1 silent1 among the best of 
people1 but ,i mean the tree ,gauls1 who
 are hot1 ready1 and born in the plains 
and in the vineyards4 ,they stand in    
their old entrenchments on either side  
of the ,saone and are vivacious in      
battle2 from time to time a spirit urges
 them1 and they go out conquering       
eastward in the ,germanics1 or in ,asia1
 or down the peninsulas of the          
,mediterranean1 and then they suck back 
like a tide homewards1 having           
accomplished nothing but an epic4  ,then
 on the left you have all the           
,germanics1 a great sea of confused and 
dreaming people1 lost in philosophies   
and creating music1 frozen for the      
moment under a foreign rigidity1 but    
some day to thaw again and to give a    
word to us others4 ,they cannot long    
remain apart from visions4  ,then in    
front of you southward and eastward1 if 
you are marching to ,rome1 come the     

,highlanders4 ,i had never been among   
them1 and ,i was to see them in a day2  
the people of the high hills1 the race  
whom we all feel to be enemies1 and who 
run straight across the world from the  
,atlantic to the ,pacific1 understanding
 each other1 not understood by us4 ,i   
saw their first rampart1 the mountains  
called the ,jura1 on the horizon1 and   
above my great field of view the clouds 
still tumbled1 lit from beneath with    
evening4  ,i tired of these immensities1
 and1 feeling now my feet more broken   
than ever1 ,i very slowly and in sharp  
shoots of pain dragged down the slope   
towards the main road3 ,i saw just below
 me the frontier stones of the          
,prussians1 and immediately within them 
a hut4 ,to this ,i addressed myself4    
,it was an inn4 ,the door opened of     
itself1 and ,i found there a pleasant   
woman of middle age1 but frowning4 ,she 
had three daughters1 all of great       
strength1 and she was upbraiding them   
loudly in the ,german of ,alsace and    

making them scour and scrub4 ,on the    
wall above her head was a great placard 
which ,i read very tactfully1 and in a  
distant manner1 until she had restored  
the discipline of her family4 ,this     
great placard was framed in the three   
colours which once brought a little hope
 to the oppressed1 and at the head of it
 in broad black letters were the three  
words1 ',freedom1 ,brotherhood1 and an  
,equal ,law'4 ,underneath these was the 
emblematic figure of a cock1 which ,i   
took to be the ,gallic bird1 and        
underneath him again was printed in     
enormous italics--    ,quand ce coq     
chantera   ,ici credit l'on fera4       
,which means--    ,when you hear him    
crowing   ,then's the time for owing4   
,till that day--,pay4  ,while ,i was    
still wondering at this epitome of the  
,french people1 and was attempting to   
combine the ,french military tradition  
with the ,french temper in the affairs  
of economics2 while ,i was also         
delighting in the memory of the solid   

coin that ,i carried in a little        
leathern bag in my pocket1 the          
hard-working1 ,god-fearing1 and honest  
woman that governs the little house and 
the three great daughters1 within a yard
 of the frontier1 and on the top of this
 huge hill1 had brought back all her    
troops into line and had the time to    
attend to me4 ,this she did with the    
utmost politeness1 though cold by race1 
and through her politeness ran a sense  
of what ,teutons called ,duty1 which    
would once have repelled me2 but ,i have
 wandered over a great part of the      
world1 and ,i know it now to be a       
distorted kind of virtue4  ,she was of a
 very different sort from that good     
tribe of the ,moselle valley beyond the 
hill2 yet she also was ,catholic-- 7she 
had a little tree set up before her door
 for the ,corpus ,christi3 see what     
religion is1 that makes people of       
utterly different races understand each 
other2 for when ,i saw that tree ,i knew
 precisely where ,i stood4 ,so once all 

we ,europeans understood each other1 but
 now we are divided by the worst        
malignancies of nations and classes1 and
 a man does not so much love his own    
nation as hate his neighbours1 and even 
the twilight of chivalry is mixed up    
with a detestable patronage of the poor4
 ,but as ,i was saying--7 she also was a
 ,catholic1 and ,i knew myself to be    
with friends4 ,she was moreover not     
exactly of- what shall ,i say8 the words
 ,celtic and ,latin mean nothing-- not  
of those who delight in a delicate      
manner2 and her good heart prompted her 
to say1 very loudly--  ',what do you    
want8'  ',i want a bed1' ,i said1 and ,i
 pulled out a silver coin4 ',i must lie 
down at once4'  ,then ,i added1 ',can   
you make omelettes8'  ,now it is a      
curious thing1 and one ,i will not dwell
 on--  ,,lector4 ,you do nothing but    
dwell4  ,,auctor4 ,it is the essence of 
lonely travel2 and if you have come to  
this book for literature you have come  
to the wrong booth and counter4 ,as ,i  

was saying3 it is a curious thing that  
some people 7or races7 jump from one    
subject to another naturally1 as some   
animals 7,i mean the noble deer7 go by  
bounds4 ,while there are other races 7or
 individuals--heaven forgive me1 ,i am  
no ethnologist7 who think you a criminal
 or a lunatic unless you carefully plod 
along from step to step like a          
hippopotamus out of water4  ,when1      
therefore1 ,i asked this                
family-drilling1 house-managing1        
mountain-living woman whether she could 
make omelettes1 she shook her head at me
 slowly1 keeping her eyes fixed on mine1
 and said in what was the corpse of     
,french with a ,german ghost in it1     
',the bed is a franc4'  ',motherkin1' ,i
 answered1 'what ,i mean is that ,i     
would sleep until ,i wake1 for ,i have  
come a prodigious distance and have last
 slept in the woods4 ,but when ,i wake  
,i shall need food1 for which1' ,i      
added1 pulling out yet another coin1 ',i
 will pay whatever your charge may be2  

for a more delightful house ,i have     
rarely met with4 ,i know most people do 
not sleep before sunset1 but ,i am      
particularly tired and broken4'  ,she   
showed me my bed then much more kindly1 
and when ,i woke1 which was long after  
dusk1 she gave me in the living room of 
the hut eggs beaten up with ham1 and ,i 
ate brown bread and said grace4  ,then  
7my wine was not yet finished1 but it is
 an abominable thing to drink your own  
wine in another person's house7 ,i asked
 whether ,i could have something to     
drink4  ',what you like1' she said4     
',what have you8' said ,i4  ',beer1'    
said she4  ',anything else8' said ,i4   
',no1' said she4  ',why1 then1 give me  
some of that excellent beer4'  ,i drank 
this with delight1 paid all my bill     
7which was that of a labourer71 and said
 good-night to them4  ,in good-nights   
they had a ceremony2 for they all rose  
together and curtsied4 ,upon my soul ,i 
believe such people to be the salt of   
the earth4 ,i bowed with real           

contrition1 for at several moments ,i   
had believed myself better than they4   
,then ,i went to my bed and they to     
theirs4 ,the wind howled outside2 my    
boots were stiff like wood and ,i could 
hardly take them off2 my feet were so   
martyrized that ,i doubted if ,i could  
walk at all on the morrow4              
,nevertheless ,i was so wrapped round   
with the repose of this family's virtues
 that ,i fell asleep at once4 ,next day 
the sun was rising in angry glory over  
the very distant hills of ,germany1 his 
new light running between the pinnacles 
of the clouds as the commands of a      
conqueror might come trumpeted down the 
defiles of mountains1 when ,i fearlessly
 forced my boots on to my feet and left 
their doors4  ,the morning outside came 
living and sharp after the gale--almost 
chilly4  ,under a scattered but clearing
 sky ,i first limped1 then1 as my blood 
warmed1 strode down the path that led   
between the trees of the farther vale   
and was soon following a stream that    

leaped from one fall to another till it 
should lead me to the main road1 to     
,belfort1 to the ,jura1 to the ,swiss   
whom ,i had never known1 and at last to 
,italy4  ,but before ,i call up the     
recollection of that hidden valley1 ,i  
must describe with a map the curious    
features of the road that lay before me 
into ,switzerland4 ,i was standing on   
the summit of that knot of hills which  
rise up from every side to form the     
,ballon d',alsace1 and make an abrupt   
ending to the ,vosges4 ,before me1      
southward and eastward1 was a great     
plain with the fortress of ,belfort in  
the midst of it4 ,this plain is called  
by soldiers 'the ,gap of ,belfort'1 and 
is the only break in the hill frontier  
that covers ,france all the way from the
 ,mediterranean to ,flanders4 ,on the   
farther side of this plain ran the ,jura
 mountains1 which are like a northern   
wall to ,switzerland1 and just before   
you reach them is the ,frontier4 ,the   
,jura are fold on fold of high limestone

 ridges1 thousands of feet high1 all    
parallel1 with deep valleys1 thousands  
of feet deep1 between them2 and beyond  
their last abrupt escarpment is the wide
 plain of the river ,aar4  ,now the     
straight line to ,rome ran from where ,i
 stood1 right across that plain of      
,belfort1 right across the ridges of the
 ,jura1 and cut the plain of the ,aar a 
few miles to the west of a town called  
,solothurn or ,soleure1 which stands    
upon that river4  ,it was impossible to 
follow that line exactly1 but one could 
average it closely enough by following  
the high road down the mountain through 
,belfort to a ,swiss town called        
,porrentruy or ,portrut--so far one was 
a little to the west of the direct line4
  ,from ,portrut1 by picking one's way  
through forests1 up steep banks1 over   
open downs1 along mule paths1 and so    
forth1 one could cross the first ridge  
called the ',terrible ,hill'1 and so    
reach the profound gorge of the river   
,doubs1 and a town called ,st ,ursanne4 

,from ,st ,ursanne1 by following a      
mountain road and then climbing some    
rocks and tracking through a wood1 one  
could get straight over the second ridge
 to ,glovelier4 ,from ,glovelier a      
highroad took one through a gap to      
,undervelier and on to a town called    
,moutier or ,munster4 ,then from        
,munster1 the road1 still following more
 or less the line to ,rome but now      
somewhat to the east of it1 went on     
southward till an abrupt turn in it     
forced one to leave it4 ,then there was 
another rough climb by a difficult path 
up over the last ridge1 called the      
,weissenstein1 and from its high edge   
and summit it was but a straight fall of
 a mile or two on to ,soleure4  ,so much
 my map told me1 and this mixture of    
roads and paths and rock climbs that ,i 
had planned out1 ,i exactly followed1 so
 as to march on as directly as possible 
towards ,rome1 which was my goal4 ,for  
if ,i had not so planned it1 but had    
followed the highroads1 ,i should have  

been compelled to zig-zag enormously for
 days1 since these ridges of the ,jura  
are but little broken1 and the roads do 
not rise above the crests1 but follow   
the parallel valleys1 taking advantage  
only here and there of the rare gaps to 
pass from one to another4  ,here is a   
sketch of the way ,i went1 where my     
track is a white line1 and the round    
spots in it are the towns and villages  
whose names are written at the side4 ,in
 this sketch the plains and low valleys 
are marked dark1 and the crests of the  
mountains left white4 ,the shading is   
lighter according to the height1 and the
 contour lines 7which are very far from 
accurate7 represent1 ,i suppose1 about a
 thousand feet between each1 or perhaps 
a little more2 and as for the distance1 
from the ,ballon d',alsace to ,soleure  
might be two long days' march on a flat 
road1 but over mountains and up rocks it
 was all but three1 and even that was   
very good going4 ,my first stage was    
across the plain of ,belfort1 and ,i had

 determined to sleep that night in      
,switzerland4  ,i wandered down the     
mountain4 ,a little secret path1 one of 
many1 saved me the long windings of the 
road4 ,it followed down the central     
hollow of the great cleft and           
accompanied the stream4 ,all the way for
 miles the water tumbled in fall after  
fall over a hundred steps of rock1 and  
its noise mixed with the freshness of   
the air1 and its splashing weighted the 
overhanging branches of the trees4 ,a   
little rain that fell from time to time 
through the clear morning seemed like a 
sister to the spray of the waterfalls2  
and what with all this moisture and     
greenery1 and the surrounding silence1  
all the valley was inspired with        
content4 ,it was a repose to descend    
through its leaves and grasses1 and find
 the lovely pastures at the foot of the 
descent1 a narrow floor between the     
hills4 ,here there were the first houses
 of men2 and1 from one1 smoke was       
already going up thinly into the        

morning4 ,the air was very pure and     
cold2 it was made more nourishing and   
human by the presence and noise of the  
waters1 by the shining wet grasses and  
the beaded leaves all through that      
umbrageous valley4 ,the shreds of clouds
 which1 high above the calm1 ran swiftly
 in the upper air1 fed it also with soft
 rains from time to time as fine as dew2
 and through those clear and momentary  
showers one could see the sunlight4     
,when ,i had enjoyed the descent through
 this place for but a few miles1        
everything changed4 ,the road in front  
ran straight and bordered--it led out   
and onwards over a great flat1 set here 
and there with hillocks4 ,the ,vosges   
ended abruptly4 ,houses came more       
thickly1 and by the ceaseless culture of
 the fields1 by the flat slate roofs1   
the white-washed walls1 and the voices1 
and the glare1 ,i knew myself to be once
 more in ,france of the plains2 and the 
first town ,i came to was ,giromagny4   
,here1 as ,i heard a bell1 ,i thought ,i

 would go up and hear ,mass2 and ,i did 
so1 but my attention at the holy office 
was distracted by the enormous number of
 priests that ,i found in the church1   
and ,i have wondered painfully ever     
since how so many came to be in a little
 place like ,giromagny4 ,there were     
three priests at the high altar1 and    
nearly one for each chapel1 and there   
was such a buzz of ,masses going on1    
beginning and ending1 that ,i am sure ,i
 need not have gone without my breakfast
 in my hurry to get one4 ,with all this 
there were few people at ,mass so early2
 nothing but these priests going in and 
out1 and continual little bells4 ,i am  
still wondering4  ,giromagny is no place
 for relics or for a pilgrimage1 it     
cures no one1 and has nothing of a holy 
look about it1 and all these priests--  
,,lector4 ,pray dwell less on your      
religion1 and--  ,,auctor4 ,pray take   
books as you find them1 and treat travel
 as travel4 ,for you1 when you go to a  
foreign country1 see nothing but what   

you expect to see4 ,but ,i am astonished
 at a thousand accidents1 and always    
find things twenty-fold as great as ,i  
supposed they would be1 and far more    
curious2 the whole covered by a strange 
light of adventure4 ,and that is the    
peculiar value of this book4 ,now1 if   
you can explain these priests---        
,,lector4 ,i can4 ,it was the season of 
the year1 and they were swarming4       
,,auctor4 ,so be it4 ,then if you will  
hear nothing of what interests me1 ,i   
see no reason for setting down with     
minute care what interests you1 and ,i  
may leave out all mention of the ,girl  
who could only speak ,german1 of the    
,arrest of the ,criminal1 and even of   
the ,house of ,marshal ,turenne--- this 
last something quite exceptionally      
entertaining4 ,but do not let us        
continue thus1 nor push things to an    
open quarrel4 ,you must imagine for     
yourself about six miles of road1 and   
then--then in the increasing heat1 the  
dust rising in spite of the morning     

rain1 and the road most wearisome1 ,i   
heard again the sound of bugles and the 
sombre excitement of the drums4  ,it is 
a thought-provoking thing1 this passing 
from one great garrison to another all  
the way down the frontier4 ,i had       
started from the busy order of ,toul2 ,i
 had passed through the silence and     
peace of all that ,moselle country1 the 
valley like a long garden1 and ,i had   
come to the guns and the tramp of       
,epinal4 ,i had left ,epinal and counted
 the miles and miles of silence in the  
forests1 ,i had crossed the great hills 
and come down into quite another plain  
draining to another sea1 and ,i heard   
again all the clamour that goes with    
soldiery1 and looking backward then over
 my four days1 one felt--one almost     
saw--the new system of fortification1   
the vast entrenched camps each holding  
an army1 the ungarnished gaps between4  
,as ,i came nearer to ,belfort1 ,i saw  
the guns going at a trot down a side    
road1 and1 a little later1 ,i saw       

marching on my right1 a long way off1   
the irregular column1 the dust and the  
invincible gaiety of the ,french line4  
,the sun here and there glinted on the  
ends of rifle-barrels and the polished  
pouches4 ,their heavy pack made their   
tramp loud and thudding4 ,they were     
singing a song4  ,i had already passed  
the outer forts2 ,i had noted a work    
close to the road2 ,i had gone on a mile
 or so and had entered the long and ugly
 suburb where the tramway lines began1  
when1 on one of the ramshackle houses of
 that burning1 paved1 and noisy endless 
street1 ,i saw written up the words1    
,wine2 shut or open4  ,as it is a great 
rule to examine every new thing1 and to 
suck honey out of every flower1 ,i did  
not--as some would--think the phrase odd
 and pass on4 ,i stood stock-still      
gazing at the house and imagining a     
hundred explanations4  ,i had never in  
my life heard wine divided into shut and
 open wine4 ,i determined to acquire yet
 one more great experience1 and going in

 ,i found a great number of tin cans1   
such as the ,french carry up water in1  
without covers1 tapering to the top1 and
 standing about three feet high2 on     
these were pasted large printed labels1 
'#cj'1 '#dj'1 and '#ej'1 and they were  
brimming with wine4 ,i spoke to the     
woman1 and pointing at the tin cans1    
said--  ',is this what you call open    
wine8'  ',why1 yes1' said she4 ',cannot 
you see for yourself that it is open8'  
,that was true enough1 and it explained 
a great deal4 ,but it did not explain   
how--seeing that if you leave a bottle  
of wine uncorked for ten minutes you    
spoil it--you can keep gallons of it in 
a great wide can1 for all the world like
 so much milk1 milked from the ,panthers
 of the ,god4 ,i determined to test the 
prodigy yet further1 and choosing the   
middle price1 at fourpence a quart1 ,i  
said--  ',pray give me a hap'orth in a  
mug4'  ,this the woman at once did1 and 
when ,i came to drink it1 it was        
delicious4  ,sweet1 cool1 strong1       

lifting the heart1 satisfying1 and full 
of all those things wine-merchants talk 
of1 bouquet1 and body1 and flavour4 ,it 
was what ,i have heard called a very    
pretty wine4  ,i did not wait1 however1 
to discuss the marvel1 but accepted it  
as one of those mysteries of which this 
pilgrimage was already giving me        
examples1 and of which more were to     
come--7wait till you hear about the     
brigand of ,radicofani74 ,i said to     
myself--  ',when ,i get out of the      
,terre ,majeure1 and away from the      
strong and excellent government of the  
,republic1 when ,i am lost in the ,jura 
,hills to-morrow there will be no such  
wine as this4'  ,so ,i bought a quart of
 it1 corked it up very tight1 put it in 
my sack1 and held it in store against   
the wineless places on the flanks of the
 hill called ,terrible1 where there are 
no soldiers1 and where ,swiss is the    
current language4 ,then ,i went on into 
the centre of the town4  ,as ,i passed  
over the old bridge into the            

market-place1 where ,i proposed to lunch
 7the sun was terrible--it was close    
upon eleven71 ,i saw them building      
parallel with that old bridge a new one 
to replace it4 ,and the way they build a
 bridge in ,belfort is so wonderfully   
simple1 and yet so new1 that it is well 
worth telling4  ,in most places when a  
bridge has to be made1 there is an      
infinite pother and worry about building
 the piers1 coffer-dams1 and heaven     
knows what else4 ,some swing their      
bridges to avoid this trouble1 and some 
try to throw an arch of one span from   
side to side4 ,there are a thousand     
different tricks4 ,in ,belfort they     
simply wait until the water has run     
away4 ,then a great brigade of workmen  
run down into the dry bed of the river  
and dig the foundations feverishly1 and 
begin building the piers in great haste4
 ,soon the water comes back1 but the    
piers are already above it1 and the rest
 of the work is done from boats4 ,this  
is absolutely true4 ,not only did ,i see

 the men in the bed of the river1 but a 
man whom ,i asked told me that it seemed
 to him the most natural way to build   
bridges1 and doubted if they were ever  
made in any other fashion4  ,there is   
also in ,belfort a great lion carved in 
rock to commemorate the siege of #ahgj4 
,this lion is part of the precipice     
under the castle1 and is of enormous    
size--- how large ,i do not know1 but ,i
 saw that a man looked quite small by   
one of his paws4 ,the precipice was     
first smoothed like a stone slab or     
tablet1 and then this lion was carved   
into and out of it in high relief by    
,bartholdi1 the same man that made the  
statue of ,liberty in ,new ,york        
,harbour4  ,the siege of #ahgj has been 
fixed for history in yet another way1   
and one that shows you how the ,church  
works on from one stem continually4 ,for
 there is a little church somewhere near
 or in ,belfort 7,i do not know where1  
,i only heard of it7 which1 a local     
mason and painter being told to decorate

 for so much1 he amused himself by      
painting all round it little pictures of
 the siege--of the cold1 and the wounds1
 and the heroism4 ,this is indeed the   
way such things should be done1 ,i mean 
by men doing them for pleasure and of   
their own thought4 ,and ,i have a number
 of friends who agree with me in        
thinking this1 that art should not be   
competitive or industrial1 but most of  
them go on to the very strange          
conclusion that one should not own one's
 garden1 nor one's beehive1 nor one's   
great noble house1 nor one's pigsty1 nor
 one's railway shares1 nor the very     
boots on one's feet4 ,i say1 out upon   
such nonsense4 ,then they say to me1    
what about the concentration of the     
means of production8 ,and ,i say to     
them1 what about the distribution of the
 ownership of the concentrated means of 
production8 ,and they shake their heads 
sadly1 and say it would never endure2   
and ,i say1 try it first and see4 ,then 
they fly into a rage4  ,when ,i lunched 

in ,belfort 7and at lunch1 by the way1 a
 poor man asked me to use all my        
influence for his son1 who was an       
engineer in the navy1 and this he did   
because ,i had been boasting of my      
travels1 experiences1 and grand         
acquaintances throughout the            
world7--when1 ,i say1 ,i had lunched in 
a workman's cafe at ,belfort1 ,i set out
 again on my road1 and was very much put
 out to find that showers still kept on 
falling4  ,in the early morning1 under  
such delightful trees1 up in the        
mountains1 the branches had given me a  
roof1 the wild surroundings made me part
 of the out-of-doors1 and the rain had  
seemed to marry itself to the pastures  
and the foaming beck4 ,but here1 on a   
road and in a town1 all its tradition of
 discomfort came upon me4 ,i was angry1 
therefore1 with the weather and the road
 for some miles1 till two things came to
 comfort me4 ,first it cleared1 and a   
glorious sun showed me from a little    
eminence the plain of ,alsace and the   

mountains of the ,vosges all in line2   
secondly1 ,i came to a vast             
powder-magazine4  ,to most people there 
is nothing more subtle or pleasing in a 
powder-magazine than in a reservoir4    
,they are both much the same in the mere
 exterior1 for each is a flat platform1 
sloping at the sides and covered with   
grass1 and each has mysterious doors4   
,but1 for my part1 ,i never see a       
powder-magazine without being filled at 
once with two very good feelings---     
laughter and companionship4 ,for it was 
my good fortune1 years and years ago1 to
 be companion and friend to two men who 
were on sentry at a powder-magazine just
 after there had been some anarchist    
attempts 7as they call them7 upon such  
depots--and for the matter of that ,i   
can imagine nothing more luscious to the
 anarchist than seven hundred and       
forty-two cases of powder and fifty     
cases of melinite all stored in one     
place4 ,and to prevent the enormous     
noise1 confusion1 and waste that would  

have resulted from the over-attraction  
of this base of operations to the       
anarchists1 my two friends1 one of whom 
was a duty-doing ,burgundian1 but the   
other a loose ,parisian man1 were on    
sentry that night4 ,they had strict     
orders to challenge once and then to    
fire4  ,now1 can you imagine anything   
more exquisite to a poor devil of a     
conscript1 fagged out with garrison duty
 and stale sham-fighting1 than an order 
of that kind8 ,so my friends took it1   
and in one summer night they killed a   
donkey and wounded two mares1 and broke 
the thin stem of a growing tree4  ,this 
powder-magazine was no exception to my  
rule1 for as ,i approached it ,i saw a  
round-faced corporal and two round-faced
 men looking eagerly to see who might be
 attacking their treasure1 and ,i became
 quite genial in my mind when ,i thought
 of how proud these boys felt1 and of   
how ,i was of the 'class of ninety1     
rifled and mounted on its carriage' 7if 
you don't see the point of the allusion1

 ,i can't stop to explain it4 ,it was a 
good gun in its time--now they have the 
seventy-five that doesn't               
recoil--requiescat71 and of how they    
were longing for the night1 and a chance
 to shoot anything on the sky line4     
,full of these foolish thoughts1 but    
smiling in spite of their folly1 ,i went
 down the road4  ,shall ,i detail all   
that afternoon8 ,my leg horrified me    
with dull pain1 and made me fear ,i     
should never hold out1 ,i do not say to 
,rome1 but even to the frontier4 ,i     
rubbed it from time to time with balm1  
but1 as always happens to miraculous    
things1 the virtue had gone out of it   
with the lapse of time4  ,at last ,i    
found a side road going off from the    
main way1 and my map told me it was on  
the whole a short cut to the frontier4  
,i determined to take it for those few  
last miles1 because1 if one is          
suffering1 a winding lane is more       
tolerable than a wide turnpike4  ,just  
as ,i came to the branching of the roads

 ,i saw a cross put up1 and at its base 
the motto that is universal to ,french  
crosses--  ,ave ,crux ,spes ,unica4  ,i 
thought it a good opportunity for       
recollection1 and sitting down1 ,i      
looked backward along the road ,i had   
come4  ,there were the high mountains of
 the ,vosges standing up above the plain
 of ,alsace like sloping cliffs above a 
sea4 ,i drew them as they stood1 and    
wondered if that frontier were really   
permanent4 ,the mind of man is greater  
than such accidents1 and can easily     
overleap even the high hills4  ,then    
having drawn them1 and in that drawing  
said a kind of farewell to the          
influences that had followed me for so  
many miles--the solemn quiet1 the steady
 industry1 the self-control1 the deep   
woods1 of ,lorraine--#a rose up stiffly 
from the bank that had been my desk1 and
 pushed along the lane that ran devious 
past neglected villages4  ,the afternoon
 and the evening followed as ,i put one 
mile after another behind me4 ,the      

frontier seemed so close that ,i would  
not rest4 ,i left my open wine1 the wine
 ,i had found outside ,belfort1         
untasted1 and ,i plodded on and on as   
the light dwindled4 ,i was in a grand   
wonderment for ,switzerland1 and ,i     
wished by an immediate effort to conquer
 the last miles before night1 in spite  
of my pain4 ,also1 ,i will confess to a 
silly pride in distances1 and a desire  
to be out of ,france on my fourth day4  
,the light still fell1 and my resolution
 stood1 though my exhaustion undermined 
it4 ,the line of the mountains rose     
higher against the sky1 and there       
entered into my pilgrimage for the first
 time the loneliness and the mystery of 
meres4 ,something of what a man feels in
 ,east ,england belonged to this last of
 the plain under the guardian hills4    
,everywhere ,i passed ponds and reeds1  
and saw the level streaks of sunset     
reflected in stagnant waters4  ,the     
marshy valley kept its character when ,i
 had left the lane and regained the     

highroad4 ,its isolation dominated the  
last effort with which ,i made for the  
line of the ,jura in that summer        
twilight1 and as ,i blundered on my     
whole spirit was caught or lifted in the
 influence of the waste waters and of   
the birds of evening4  ,i wished1 as ,i 
had often wished in such opportunities  
of recollection and of silence1 for a   
complete barrier that might isolate the 
mind4 ,with that wish came in a puzzling
 thought1 very proper to a pilgrimage1  
which was3 ',what do men mean by the    
desire to be dissolved and to enjoy the 
spirit free and without attachments8'   
,that many men have so desired there can
 be no doubt1 and the best men1 whose   
holiness one recognizes at once1 tell us
 that the joys of the soul are          
incomparably higher than those of the   
living man4 ,in ,india1 moreover1 there 
are great numbers of men who do the most
 fantastic things with the object of    
thus unprisoning the soul1 and ,milton  
talks of the same thing with evident    

conviction1 and the ,saints all praise  
it in chorus4 ,but what is it8 ,for my  
part ,i cannot understand so much as the
 meaning of the words1 for every        
pleasure ,i know comes from an intimate 
union between my body and my very human 
mind1 which last receives1 confirms1    
revives1 and can summon up again what my
 body has experienced4 ,of pleasures1   
however1 in which my senses have had no 
part ,i know nothing1 so ,i have        
determined to take them upon trust and  
see whether they could make the matter  
clearer in ,rome4  ,but when it comes to
 the immortal mind1 the good spirit in  
me that is so cunning at forms and      
colours and the reasons of things1 that 
is a very different story4 ,that1 ,i do 
indeed desire to have to myself at      
whiles1 and the waning light of a day or
 the curtains of autumn closing in the  
year are often to me like a door        
shutting after one1 as one comes in     
home4 ,for ,i find that with less and   
less impression from without the mind   

seems to take on a power of creation1   
and by some mystery it can project songs
 and landscapes and faces much more     
desirable than the music or the shapes  
one really hears and sees4 ,so also     
memory can create4 ,but it is not the   
soul that does this1 for the songs1 the 
landscapes1 and the faces are of a kind 
that have come in by the senses1 nor    
have ,i ever understood what could be   
higher than these pleasures1 nor indeed 
how in anything formless and immaterial 
there could be pleasure at all4 ,yet the
 wisest people assure us that our souls 
are as superior to our minds as are our 
minds to our inert and merely material  
bodies4 ,i cannot understand it at all4 
,as ,i was pondering on these things in 
this land of pastures and lonely ponds1 
with the wall of the ,jura black against
 the narrow bars of evening--7my pain   
seemed gone for a moment1 yet ,i was    
hobbling slowly7--,i say as ,i was      
considering this complex doctrine1 ,i   
felt my sack suddenly much lighter1 and 

,i had hardly time to rejoice at the    
miracle when ,i heard immediately a very
 loud crash1 and turning half round ,i  
saw on the blurred white of the twilit  
road my quart of ,open ,wine all broken 
to atoms4 ,my disappointment was so     
great that ,i sat down on a milestone to
 consider the accident and to see if a  
little thought would not lighten my     
acute annoyance4 ,consider that ,i had  
carefully cherished this bottle and had 
not drunk throughout a painful march all
 that afternoon1 thinking that there    
would be no wine worth drinking after ,i
 had passed the frontier4  ,i consoled  
myself more or less by thinking about   
torments and evils to which even such a 
loss as this was nothing1 and then ,i   
rose to go on into the night4 ,as it    
turned out ,i was to find beyond the    
frontier a wine in whose presence this  
wasted wine would have seemed a wretched
 jest1 and whose wonderful taste was to 
colour all my memories of the ,mount    
,terrible4  ,it is always thus with     

sorrows if one will only wait4  ,so1    
lighter in the sack but heavier in the  
heart1 ,i went forward to cross the     
frontier in the dark4 ,i did not quite  
know where the point came3 ,i only knew 
that it was about a mile from ,delle1   
the last ,french town4 ,i supped there  
and held on my way4 ,when ,i guessed    
that ,i had covered this mile ,i saw a  
light in the windows on my left1 a      
trellis and the marble tables of a cafe4
 ,i put my head in at the door and      
said--  ',am ,i in ,switzerland8'  ,a   
,german-looking girl1 a large heavy man1
 a ,bavarian commercial traveller1 and a
 colleague of his from ,marseilles1 all 
said together in varying accents3       
',yes4'  ',why then1' ,i said1 ',i will 
come in and drink4'  ,this book would   
never end if ,i were to attempt to write
 down so much as the names of a quarter 
of the extraordinary things that ,i saw 
and heard on my enchanted pilgrimage1   
but let me at least mention the         
,commercial ,traveller from ,marseilles4

  ,he talked with extreme rapidity for  
two hours4 ,he had seen all the cities  
in the world and he remembered their    
minutest details4 ,he was extremely     
accurate1 his taste was abominable1 his 
patriotism large1 his wit crude but     
continual1 and to his ,german friend1 to
 the host of the inn1 and to the blonde 
serving-girl1 he was a familiar god4 ,he
 came1 it seems1 once a year1 and for a 
day would pour out the torrent of his   
travels like a waterfall of guide-books 
7for he gloried in dates1 dimensions1   
and the points of the compass in his    
descriptions72 then he disappeared for  
another year1 and left them to feast on 
the memory of such a revelation4  ,for  
my part ,i sat silent1 crippled with    
fatigue1 trying to forget my wounded    
feet1 drinking stoup after stoup of beer
 and watching the ,phocean4  ,he was of 
the old race you see on vases in red and
 black2 slight1 very wiry1 with a sharp1
 eager1 but well-set face1 a small1     
black1 pointed beard1 brilliant eyes    

like those of lizards1 rapid gestures1  
and a vivacity that played all over his 
features as sheet lightning does over   
the glow of midnight in ,june4  ,that   
delta of the ,rhone is something quite  
separate from the rest of ,france4 ,it  
is a wedge of ,greece and of the ,east  
thrust into the ,gauls4 ,it came north a
 hundred years ago and killed the       
monarchy4 ,it caught the value in1 and  
created1 the great war song of the      
,republic4  ,i watched the ,phocean4 ,i 
thought of a man of his ancestry three  
thousand years ago sitting here at the  
gates of these mountains talking of his 
travels to dull1 patient1 and admiring  
northerners1 and travelling for gain up 
on into the ,germanics1 and ,i felt the 
changeless form of ,europe under me like
 a rock4  ,when he heard ,i was walking 
to ,rome1 this man of information turned
 off his flood into another channel1 as 
a miller will send the racing water into
 a side sluice1 and he poured out some  
such torrent as this3  ',do not omit to 

notice the famous view ,s4,e4 from the  
,villa ,so and ,so on ,monte ,mario2    
visit such and such a garden1 and hear  
,mass in such and such a church4 ,note  
the curious illusion produced on the    
piazza of ,st ,peter's by the interior  
measurements of the trapezium1 which are
 so many years and so many yards1444'   
c41 and so forth444 exactly like a mill4
  ,i meanwhile sat on still silent1     
still drinking beer and watching the    
,phocean2 gradually suffering the       
fascination that had captured the       
villagers and the ,german friend4 ,he   
was a very wonderful man4  ,he was also 
kindly1 for ,i found afterwards that he 
had arranged with the host to give me up
 his bed1 seeing my weariness4 ,for     
this1 most unluckily1 ,i was never able 
to thank him1 since the next morning ,i 
was off before he or any one else was   
awake1 and ,i left on the table such    
money as ,i thought would very likely   
satisfy the innkeeper4  ,it was broad   
day1 but not yet sunrise 7there were    

watery thin clouds left here and there  
from the day before1 a cold wind drove  
them7 when1 with extreme pain1 going    
slowly one step after the other and     
resting continually1 ,i started for     
,porrentruy along a winding road1 and   
pierced the gap in the ,jura4 ,the first
 turn cut me off from ,france1 and ,i   
was fairly in a strange country4  ,the  
valley through which ,i was now passing 
resembled that of the lovely river ,jed 
where it runs down from the ,cheviots1  
and leads like a road into the secret   
pastures of the lowlands4 ,here also1 as
 there1 steep cliffs of limestone       
bounded a very level dale1 all green    
grass and plenty2 the plateau above them
 was covered also with perpetual woods1 
only here1 different from ,scotland1 the
 woods ran on and upwards till they     
became the slopes of high mountains2    
indeed1 this winding cleft was a natural
 passage through the first ridge of the 
,jura2 the second stood up southward    
before me like a deep blue storm4  ,i   

had1 as ,i passed on along this turning 
way1 all the pleasures of novelty2 it   
was quite another country from the      
governed and ordered ,france which ,i   
had left4 ,the road was more haphazard1 
less carefully tended1 and evidently    
less used4 ,the milestones were very    
old1 and marked leagues instead of      
kilometres4 ,there was age in           
everything4 ,moss grew along the walls1 
and it was very quiet under the high    
trees4 ,i did not know the name of the  
little river that went slowly through   
the meadows1 nor whether it followed the
 custom of its ,french neighbours on the
 watershed1 and was called by some such 
epithet as hangs to all the waters in   
that gap of ,belfort1 that plain of     
ponds and marshes3 for they are called  
'the ,sluggish'1 'the ,muddy'1 or 'the  
,laggard'4 ,even the name of the ,saone1
 far off1 meant once ',slow ,water'4  ,i
 was wondering what its name might be1  
and how far ,i stood from ,porrentruy   
7which ,i knew to be close by71 when ,i 

saw a tunnel across the valley1 and ,i  
guessed by the trend of the higher hills
 that the river was about to make a very
 sharp angle4 ,both these signs1 ,i had 
been told1 meant that ,i was quite close
 to the town2 so ,i took a short cut up 
through the forest over a spur of       
hill--a short cut most legitimate1      
because it was trodden and very         
manifestly used--and ,i walked up and   
then on a level for a mile1 along a lane
 of the woods and beneath small1        
dripping trees4 ,when this short silence
 of the forest was over1 ,i saw an      
excellent sight4  ,there1 below me1     
where the lane began to fall1 was the   
first of the ,german cities4  ,,lector4 
,how ',german'8  ,,auctor4 ,let me      
explain4 ,there is a race that stretches
 vaguely1 without defined boundaries1   
from the ,baltic into the high hills of 
the south4 ,i will not include the      
,scandinavians among them1 for the      
,scandinavians 7from whom we ,english   
also in part descend7 are long-headed1  

lean1 and fierce1 with a light of       
adventure in their pale eyes4 ,but      
beneath them1 ,i say1 there stretches   
from the ,baltic to the high hills a    
race which has a curious unity4 ,yes2 ,i
 know that great patches of it are      
,catholic1 and that other great patches 
hold varying philosophies2 ,i know also 
that within them are counted long-headed
 and round-headed men1 dark and fair1   
violent and silent2 ,i know also that   
they have continually fought among      
themselves and called in ,welch allies2 
still ,i go somewhat by the language1   
for ,i am concerned here with the       
development of a modern ,european       
people1 and ,i say that the ,germans run
 from the high hills to the northern    
sea4 ,in all of them you find 7it is not
 race1 it is something much more than   
race1 it is the type of culture7 a      
dreaminess and a love of ease4 ,in all  
of them you find music4 ,they are those 
,germans whose countries ,i had seen a  
long way off1 from the ,ballon          

d',alsace1 and whose language and       
traditions ,i now first touched in the  
town that stood before me4  ,,lector4   
,but in ,porrentruy they talk ,french6  
,,auctor4 ,they are welcome2 it is an   
excellent tongue4 ,nevertheless1 they   
are ,germans4 ,who but ,germans would so
 preserve--would so rebuild the past8   
,who but ,germans would so feel the     
mystery of the hills1 and so fit their  
town to the mountains8 ,i was to pass   
through but a narrow wedge of this      
strange and diffuse people4 ,they began 
at ,porrentruy1 they ended at the       
watershed of the ,adriatic1 in the high 
passes of the ,alps2 but in that little 
space of four days ,i made acquaintance 
with their influence1 and ,i owe them a 
perpetual gratitude for their           
architecture and their tales4 ,i had    
come from ,france1 which is full of an  
active memory of ,rome4 ,i was to       
debouch into those larger plains of     
,italy1 which keep about them an        
atmosphere of ,rome in decay4 ,here in  

,switzerland1 for four marches1 ,i      
touched a northern1 exterior1 and       
barbaric people2 for though these       
mountains spoke a distorted ,latin      
tongue1 and only after the first day    
began to give me a ,teutonic dialect1   
yet it was evident from the first that  
they had about them neither the ,latin  
order nor the ,latin power to create1   
but were contemplative and easily       
absorbed by a little effort4  ,the      
,german spirit is a marvel4 ,there lay  
,porrentruy4 ,an odd door with ,gothic  
turrets marked the entry to the town4   
,to the right of this gateway a tower1  
more enormous than anything ,i          
remembered to have seen1 even in dreams1
 flanked the approach to the city4 ,how 
vast it was1 how protected1 how high1   
how eaved1 how enduring6 ,i was told    
later that some part of that great      
bastion was ,roman1 and ,i can believe  
it4 ,the ,germans hate to destroy4  ,it 
overwhelmed me as visions overwhelm1 and
 ,i felt in its presence as boys feel   

when they first see the mountains4 ,had 
,i not been a ,christian1 ,i would have 
worshipped and propitiated this         
obsession1 this everlasting thing4  ,as 
it was ,i entered ,porrentruy soberly4  
,i passed under its deep gateway and up 
its steep hill4 ,the moment ,i was well 
into the main street1 something other of
 the ,middle ,ages possessed me1 and ,i 
began to think of food and wine4 ,i went
 to the very first small guest-house ,i 
could find1 and asked them if they could
 serve me food4 ,they said that at such 
an early hour 7it was not yet ten7 they 
could give me nothing but bread1        
yesterday's meat1 and wine4 ,i said that
 would do very well1 and all these      
things were set before me1 and by a     
custom of the country ,i paid before ,i 
ate4 7,a bad custom4 ,up in the         
,limousin1 when ,i was a boy1 in the    
noisy valley of the ,torrent1 on the    
,vienne1 ,i remember a woman that did   
not allow me to pay till she had held   
the bottle up to the light1 measured the

 veal with her finger1 and estimated the
 bread with her eye2 also she charged me
 double4  ,god rest her soul67 ,i say ,i
 paid4 ,and had ,i had to pay twenty or 
twenty-three times as much it would have
 been worth it for the wine4  ,i am     
hurrying on to ,rome1 and ,i have no    
time to write a georgic4 ,but1 oh6  my  
little friends of the north2 my         
struggling1 strenuous1 introspective1   
self-analysing1 autoscopic1 and         
generally reentrant friends1 who spout  
the ',hue6 ,pater1 oh6 ,lenae6' without 
a ghost of an idea what you are talking 
about1 do you know what is meant by the 
god8 ,bacchus is everywhere1 but if he  
has special sites to be ringed in and   
kept sacred1 ,i say let these be ,brule1
 and the silent vineyard that lies under
 the square wood by ,tournus1 the hollow
 underplace of ,heltz le ,maurupt1 and  
this town of ,porrentruy4 ,in these     
places if ,i can get no living friends  
to help me1 ,i will strike the foot     
alone on the genial ground1 and ,i know 

of fifty maenads and two hundred little 
attendant gods by name that will come to
 the festival4  ,what a wine6  ,i was   
assured it would not travel4            
',nevertheless1' said ,i1 'give me a    
good quart bottle of it1 for ,i have to 
go far1 and ,i see there is a providence
 for pilgrims4'  ,so they charged me    
fourpence1 and ,i took my bottle of this
 wonderful stuff1 sweet1 strong1        
sufficient1 part of the earth1          
desirable1 and went up on my way to     
,rome4  ,could this book be infinite1 as
 my voyage was infinite1 ,i would tell  
you about the shifty priest whom ,i met 
on the platform of the church where a   
cliff overhangs the valley1 and of the  
anarchist whom ,i met when ,i recovered 
the highroad--- he was a sad1 good man1 
who had committed some sudden crime and 
so had left ,france1 and his hankering  
for ,france all those years had soured  
his temper1 and he said he wished there 
were no property1 no armies1 and no     
governments4  ,but ,i said that we live 

as parts of a nation1 and that there was
 no fate so wretched as to be without a 
country of one's own--what else was     
exile which so many noble men have      
thought worse than death1 and which all 
have feared8  ,i also told him that     
armies fighting in a just cause were the
 happiest places for living1 and that a 
good battle for justice was the         
beginning of all great songs2 and that  
as for property1 a man on his own land  
was the nearest to ,god4  ,he therefore 
not convinced1 and ,i loving and pitying
 him1 we separated2 ,i had not time to  
preach my full doctrine1 but gave him   
instead a deep and misty glass of cool  
beer1 and pledged him brotherhood1      
freedom1 and an equal law4 ,then ,i went
 on my way1 praying ,god that all these 
rending quarrels might be appeased4 ,for
 they would certainly be appeased if we 
once again had a united doctrine in     
,europe1 since economics are but an     
expression of the mind and do not 7as   
the poor blind slaves of the great      

cities think7 mould the mind4 ,what is  
more1 nothing makes property run into a 
few hands but the worst of the capital  
sins1 and you who say it is 'the modern 
facilities of distribution' are like men
 who cannot read large print without    
spectacles2 or again1 you are like men  
who should say that their drunkenness   
was due to their drink1 or that arson   
was caused by matches4  ,but1 frankly1  
do you suppose ,i came all this way over
 so many hills to talk economics8 ,very 
far from it6 ,i will pray for all poor  
men when ,i get to ,st ,peter's in ,rome
 7,i should like to know what capital   
,st ,peter had in that highly           
capitalistic first century71 and1       
meanwhile1 do you discuss the margin of 
production while ,i go on the open way2 
there are no landlords here1 and if you 
would learn at least one foreign        
language1 and travel but five miles off 
a railway1 you town-talkers1 you would  
find how much landlordism has to do with
 your 'necessities' and your 'laws'4    

,,lector4 ,i thought you said you were  
not going to talk economics8  ,,auctor4 
,neither am ,i4 ,it is but the backwash 
of a wave444 ,well1 then1 ,i went up the
 open way1 and came in a few miles of   
that hot afternoon to the second ridge  
of the ,jura1 which they call 'the      
,terrible ,hill'1 or 'the ,mount        
,terrible'--and1 in truth1 it is very   
jagged4 ,a steep1 long crest of very    
many miles lies here between the vale of
 ,porrentruy and the deep gorge of the  
,doubs4 ,the highroad goes off a long   
way westward1 seeking for a pass or neck
 in the chain1 but ,i determined to find
 a straight road across1 and spoke to   
some wood-cutters who were felling trees
 just where the road began to climb4    
,they gave me this curious indication4  
,they said--  ',go you up this muddy    
track that has been made athwart the    
woods and over the pastures by our      
sliding logs' 7for they had cut their   
trunks higher up the mountains71 'and   
you will come to the summit easily4     

,from thence you will see the ,doubs    
running below you in a very deep and    
dark ravine4'  ,i thanked them1 and soon
 found that they had told me right4     
,there1 unmistakable1 a gash in the     
forest and across the intervening fields
 of grass1 was the run of the timber4   
,when ,i had climbed almost to the top1 
,i looked behind me to take my last view
 of the north4 ,i saw just before me a  
high isolated rock2 between me and it   
was the forest4 ,i saw beyond it the    
infinite plain of ,alsace and the       
distant ,vosges4 ,the cliff of limestone
 that bounded that height fell sheer    
upon the tree-tops2 its sublimity       
arrested me1 and compelled me to record 
it4  ',surely1' ,i said1 'if            
,switzerland has any gates on the north 
they are these4' ,then1 having drawn the
 wonderful outline of what ,i had seen1 
,i went up1 panting1 to the summit1 and1
 resting there1 discovered beneath me   
the curious swirl of the ,doubs1 where  
it ran in a dark gulf thousands of feet 

below4 ,the shape of this extraordinary 
turn ,i will describe in a moment4  ,let
 me say1 meanwhile1 that there was no   
precipice or rock between me and the    
river1 only a down1 down1 down through  
other trees and pastures1 not too steep 
for a man to walk1 but steeper than our 
steep downs and fells in ,england1 where
 a man hesitates and picks his way4 ,it 
was so much of a descent1 and so long1  
that one looked above the tree-tops4 ,it
 was a place where no one would care to 
ride4  ,i found a kind of path1 sideways
 on the face of the mountain1 and       
followed it till ,i came to a platform  
with a hut perched thereon1 and men     
building4  ,here a good woman told me   
just how to go4 ,i was not to attempt   
the road to ,brune-,farine--that is1    
',whole-,meal ,farm'--as ,i had first   
intended1 foolishly trusting a map1 but 
to take a gully she would show me1 and  
follow it till ,i reached the river4    
,she came out1 and led me steeply across
 a hanging pasture2 all the while she   

had knitting in her hands1 and ,i       
noticed that on the levels she went on  
with her knitting4 ,then1 when we got to
 the gully1 she said ,i had but to      
follow it4 ,i thanked her1 and she      
climbed up to her home4  ,this gully was
 the precipitous bed of a stream2 ,i    
clanked down it--thousands of           
feet--warily2 ,i reached the valley1 and
 at last1 very gladly1 came to a drain1 
and thus knew that ,i approached a town 
or village4  ,it was ,st ,ursanne4  ,the
 very first thing ,i noticed in ,st     
,ursanne was the extraordinary shape of 
the lower windows of the church4 ,they  
lighted a crypt and ran along the       
ground1 which in itself was sufficiently
 remarkable1 but much more remarkable   
was their shape1 which seemed to me to  
approach that of a horseshoe2 ,i never  
saw such a thing before4 ,it looked as  
though the weight of the church above   
had bulged these little windows out1 and
 that is the way ,i explain it4 ,some   
people would say it was a man coming    

home from the ,crusades that had made   
them this eastern way1 others that it   
was a symbol of something or other4 ,but
 ,i say--  ,,lector4 ,what rhodomontade 
and pedantry is this talk about the     
shape of a window8  ,,auctor4 ,little   
friend1 how little you know6 ,to a      
building windows are everything2 they   
are what eyes are to a man4 ,out of     
windows a building takes its view2 in   
windows the outlook of its human        
inhabitants is framed4 ,if you were the 
lord of a very high tower overlooking a 
town1 a plain1 a river1 and a distant   
hill 7,i doubt if you will ever have    
such luck671 would you not call your    
architect up before you and say--       
',sir1 see that the windows of my house 
are tall1 narrow1 thick1 and have a     
round top to them'8  ,of course you     
would1 for thus you would best catch in 
separate pictures the sunlit things     
outside your home4  ,never ridicule     
windows4 ,it is out of windows that many
 fall to their deaths4 ,by windows love 

often enters4 ,through a window went the
 bolt that killed ,king ,richard4 ,king 
,william's father spied ,arlette from a 
window 7,i have looked through it       
myself1 but not a soul did ,i see       
washing below74  ,when a mob would rule 
,england1 it breaks windows1 and when a 
patriot would save her1 he taxes them4  
,out of windows we walk on to lawns in  
summer and meet men and women1 and in   
winter windows are drums for the        
splendid music of storms that makes us  
feel so masterly round our fires4 ,the  
windows of the great cathedrals are all 
their meaning4 ,but for windows we      
should have to go out-of-doors to see   
daylight4 ,after the sun1 which they    
serve1 ,i know of nothing so beneficent 
as windows4 ,fie upon the ungrateful man
 that has no window-god in his house1   
and thinks himself too great a          
philosopher to bow down to windows6 ,may
 he live in a place without windows for 
a while to teach him the value of       
windows4 ,as for me1 ,i will keep up the

 high worship of windows till ,i come to
 the windowless grave4 ,talk to me of   
windows6  ,yes4 ,there are other things 
in ,st ,ursanne4 ,it is a little tiny   
town1 and yet has gates4 ,it is full of 
very old houses1 people1 and speech4 ,it
 was founded 7or named7 by a ,bear      
,saint1 and the statue of the saint with
 his bear is carved on the top of a     
column in the market-place4 ,but the    
chief thing about it1 so it seemed to   
me1 was its remoteness4  ,the gorge of  
the ,doubs1 of which ,i said a word or  
two above1 is of that very rare shape   
which isolates whatever may be found in 
such valleys4 ,it turns right back upon 
itself1 like a very narrow ,u1 and thus 
cannot by any possibility lead any one  
anywhere2 for though in all times       
travellers have had to follow river     
valleys1 yet when they come to such a   
long and sharp turn as this1 they have  
always cut across the intervening bend4 
,here is the shape of this valley with  
the high hills round it and in its core1

 which will show better than description
 what ,i mean4 ,the little picture also 
shows what the gorge looked like as ,i  
came down on it from the heights above4 
,in the map the small white ',a' shows  
where the railway bridge was1 and in    
this map1 as in the others1 the dark is 
for the depth and the light is for the  
heights4 ,as for the picture1 it is what
 one sees when one is coming over the   
ridge at the north or top of the map1   
and when one first catches the river    
beneath one4  ,i thought a good deal    
about what the ,romans did to get       
through the ,mont ,terrible1 and how    
they negotiated this crook in the ,doubs
 7for they certainly passed into ,gaul  
through the gates of ,porrentruy1 and by
 that obvious valley below it74 ,i      
decided that they probably came round   
eastward by ,delemont4 ,but for my part1
 ,i was on a straight path to ,rome1 and
 as that line lay just along the top of 
the river bend ,i was bound to take it4 
,now outside ,st ,ursanne1 if one would 

go along the top of the river bend and  
so up to the other side of the gorge1 is
 a kind of subsidiary ravine--awful1    
deep1 and narrow--and this was crossed1 
,i could see1 by a very high railway    
bridge4  ,not suspecting any evil1 and  
desiring to avoid the long descent into 
the ravine1 the looking for a bridge or 
ford1 and the steep climb up the other  
side1 ,i made in my folly for the       
station which stood just where the      
railway left solid ground to go over    
this high1 high bridge4 ,i asked leave  
of the stationmaster to cross it1 who   
said it was strictly forbidden1 but that
 he was not a policeman1 and that ,i    
might do it at my own risk4 ,thanking   
him1 therefore1 and considering how     
charming was the loose habit of small   
uncentralized societies1 ,i went merrily
 on to the bridge1 meaning to walk      
across it by stepping from sleeper to   
sleeper4 ,but it was not to be so       
simple4 ,the powers of the air1 that    
hate to have their kingdom disturbed1   

watched me as ,i began4  ,i had not been
 engaged upon it a dozen yards when ,i  
was seized with terror4  ,i have much to
 say further on in this book concerning 
terror3 the panic that haunts high      
places and the spell of many angry men4 
,this horrible affection of the mind is 
the delight of our modern scribblers2 it
 is half the plot of their insane 'short
 stories'1 and is at the root of their  
worship of what they call 'strength'1 a 
cowardly craving for protection1 or the 
much more despicable fascination of     
brutality4 ,for my part ,i have always  
disregarded it as something impure and  
devilish1 unworthy of a ,christian4     
,fear ,i think1 indeed1 to be in the    
nature of things1 and it is as much part
 of my experience to be afraid of the   
sea or of an untried horse as it is to  
eat and sleep2 but terror1 which is a   
sudden madness and paralysis of the     
soul1 that ,i say is from hell1 and not 
to be played with or considered or put  
in pictures or described in stories4    

,all this ,i say to preface what        
happened1 and especially to point out   
how terror is in the nature of a        
possession and is unreasonable4  ,for in
 the crossing of this bridge there was  
nothing in itself perilous4  ,the       
sleepers lay very close together--,i    
doubt if a man could have slipped       
between them2 but1 ,i know not how many 
hundred feet below1 was the flashing of 
the torrent1 and it turned my brain4    
,for the only parapet there was a light 
line or pipe1 quite slender and low     
down1 running from one spare iron       
upright to another4 ,these rather       
emphasized than encouraged my mood4 ,and
 still as ,i resolutely put one foot in 
front of the other1 and resolutely kept 
my eyes off the abyss and fixed on the  
opposing hill1 and as the long curve    
before me was diminished by successive  
sharp advances1 still my heart was      
caught half-way in every breath1 and    
whatever it is that moves a man went    
uncertainly within me1 mechanical and   

half-paralysed4 ,the great height with  
that narrow unprotected ribbon across it
 was more than ,i could bear4  ,i dared 
not turn round and ,i dared not stop4   
,words and phrases began repeating      
themselves in my head as they will under
 a strain3 so ,i know at sea a man      
perilously hanging on to the tiller     
makes a kind of litany of his           
instructions4 ,the central part was     
passed1 the three-quarters2 the tension 
of that enduring effort had grown       
intolerable1 and ,i doubted my ability  
to complete the task4 ,why8 ,what could 
prevent me8 ,i cannot say2 it was all a 
bundle of imaginaries4 ,perhaps at      
bottom what ,i feared was sudden        
giddiness and the fall--  ,at any rate  
at this last supreme part ,i vowed one  
candle to ,our ,lady of ,perpetual      
,succour if she would see that all went 
well1 and this candle ,i later paid in  
,rome2 finding ,our ,lady of ,succour   
not hung up in a public place and known 
to all1 as ,i thought ,she would be1 but

 peculiar to a little church belonging  
to a ,scotchman and standing above his  
high altar4 ,yet it is a very famous    
picture1 and extremely old4  ,well1     
then1 having made this vow ,i still went
 on1 with panic aiding me1 till ,i saw  
that the bank beneath had risen to      
within a few feet of the bridge1 and    
that dry land was not twenty yards away4
 ,then my resolution left me and ,i ran1
 or rather stumbled1 rapidly from       
sleeper to sleeper till ,i could take a 
deep breath on the solid earth beyond4  
,i stood and gazed back over the abyss2 
,i saw the little horrible strip between
 heaven and hell--the perspective of its
 rails4 ,i was made ill by the relief   
from terror4 ,yet ,i suppose railway-men
 cross and recross it twenty times a    
day4 ,better for them than for me6      
,there is the story of the awful bridge 
of the ,mont ,terrible1 and it lies to a
 yard upon the straight line--quid      
dicam--the segment of the ,great ,circle
 uniting ,toul and ,rome4  ,the high    

bank or hillside before me was that     
which ends the gorge of the ,doubs and  
looks down either limb of the sharp     
bend4 ,i had here not to climb but to   
follow at one height round the curve4   
,my way ran by a rather ill-made lane   
and passed a village4 ,then it was my   
business to make straight up the farther
 wall of the gorge1 and as there was    
wood upon this1 it looked an easy       
matter4  ,but when ,i came to it1 it was
 not easy4 ,the wood grew in loose rocks
 and the slope was much too steep for   
anything but hands and knees1 and far   
too soft and broken for true climbing4  
,and no wonder this ridge seemed a wall 
for steepness and difficulty1 since it  
was the watershed between the           
,mediterranean and the cold ,north ,sea4
 ,but ,i did not know this at the time4 
,it must have taken me close on an hour 
before ,i had covered the last thousand 
feet or so that brought me to the top of
 the ridge1 and there1 to my great      
astonishment1 was a road4 ,where could  

such a road lead1 and why did it follow 
right along the highest edge of the     
mountains8 ,the ,jura with their unique 
parallels provide twenty such problems4 
,wherever it led1 however1 this road was
 plainly perpendicular to my true route1
 and ,i had but to press on my straight 
line4 ,so ,i crossed it1 saw for a last 
time through the trees the gorge of the 
,doubs1 and then got upon a path which  
led down through a field more or less in
 the direction of my pilgrimage4  ,here 
the country was so broken that one could
 make out but little of its general     
features1 but of course1 on the whole1  
,i was following down yet another       
southern slope1 the southern slope of   
the third chain of the ,jura1 when1     
after passing through many glades and   
along a stony path1 ,i found a kind of  
gate between two high rocks1 and emerged
 somewhat suddenly upon a wide down     
studded with old trees and also many    
stunted yews1 and this sank down to a   
noble valley which lay all before me4   

,the open down or prairie on which ,i   
stood ,i afterwards found to be called  
the ',pasturage of ,common ,right'1 a   
very fine name2 and1 as a gallery will  
command a great hall1 so this field like
 a platform commanded the wide and      
fading valley below4  ,it was a very    
glad surprise to see this sight suddenly
 unrolled as ,i stood on the crest of   
the down4 ,the ,jura had hitherto been  
either lonely1 or somewhat awful1 or    
naked and rocky1 but here was a true    
vale in which one could imagine a spirit
 of its own2 there were corn lands and  
no rocks4 ,the mountains on either side 
did not rise so high as three thousand  
feet4 ,though of limestone they were    
rounded in form1 and the slanting sun of
 the late afternoon 7all the storm had  
left the sky7 took them full and warm4  
,the valley remaining wide and fruitful 
went on out eastward till the hills     
became mixed up with brume and distance4
 ,as ,i did not know its name ,i called 
it after the village immediately below  

me for which ,i was making2 and ,i still
 remember it as the ,valley of          
,glovelier1 and it lies between the     
third and fourth ridges of the ,jura4   
,before leaving the field ,i drew what  
,i saw but ,i was much too tired by the 
double and prodigious climb of the past 
hours to draw definitely or clearly4    
,such as it is1 there it is4 ,then ,i   
went down over the smooth field4  ,there
 is something that distinguishes the    
rugged from the gracious in landscape1  
and in our ,europe this something       
corresponds to the use and presence of  
men1 especially in mountainous places4  
,for men's habits and civilization fill 
the valleys and wash up the base of the 
hills1 making1 as it were1 a tide mark4 
,into this zone ,i had already passed4  
,the turf was trodden fine1 and was set 
firm as it can only become by thousands 
of years of pasturing4 ,the moisture    
that oozed out of the earth was not the 
random bog of the high places but a     
human spring1 caught in a stone trough4 

,attention had been given to the trees4 
,below me stood a wall1 which1 though   
rough1 was not the haphazard thing men  
pile up in the last recesses of the     
hills1 but formed of chosen stones1 and 
these bound together with mortar4  ,on  
my right was a deep little dale with    
children playing in it--and this' ,i    
afterwards learned was called a 'combe'3
 delightful memory6 ,all our deeper     
hollows are called the same at home1 and
 even the ,welsh have the word1 but they
 spell it cwm2 it is their mountain way4
 ,well1 as ,i was saying1 everything    
surrounding me was domestic and         
grateful1 and ,i was therefore in a mood
 for charity and companionship when ,i  
came down the last dip and entered      
,glovelier4 ,but ,glovelier is a place  
of no excellence whatever1 and if the   
thought did not seem extravagant ,i     
should be for putting it to the sword   
and burning it all down4  ,for just as  
,i was going along full of kindly       
thoughts1 and had turned into the sign  

of 7,i think it was7 the ',sun' to drink
 wine and leave them my benediction--   
,,lector4 ,why your benediction8        
,,auctor4 ,who else can give            
benedictions if people cannot when they 
are on pilgrimage8 ,learn that there are
 three avenues by which blessing can be 
bestowed1 and three kinds of men who can
 bestow it4  7#a7 ,there is the good    
man1 whose goodness makes him of himself
 a giver of blessings4 ,his power is not
 conferred or of office1 but is         
inhaerens persona2 part of the stuff of 
his mind4 ,this kind can confer the     
solemn benediction1 or ,benedictio      
major1 if they choose2 but besides this 
their every kind thought1 word1 or      
action is a ,benedictio generalise and  
even their frowns1 curses1 angry looks  
and irritable gestures may be called    
,benedictiones minores vel incerti4 ,i  
believe ,i am within the definitions4   
,i avoid heresy4 ,all this is sound     
theology4 ,i do not smell of the faggot4
  ,and this kind of ,benedictory ,power 

is the fount or type or natural origin1 
as it were1 of all others4  7#b7 ,there 
is the ,official of ,religion who1 in   
the exercise of his office--  ,,lector4 
,for ,heaven's sake--  ,,auctor4 ,who   
began it8 ,you protested my power to    
give benediction1 and ,i must now prove 
it at length2 otherwise ,i should fall  
under the accusation of lesser          
,simony--that is1 the false assumption  
of particular powers4 ,well1 then1 there
 is the ,official who ex officio1 and   
when he makes it quite clear that it is 
qua sponsus and not sicut ut ipse1 can  
give formal benediction4 ,this power    
belongs certainly to all ,bishops1      
mitred ,abbots1 and ,archimandrates2 to 
,patriarchs of course1 and a fortiori to
 the ,pope4  ,in ,rome they will have it
 that ,monsignores also can so bless1   
and ,i have heard it debated whether or 
no the same were not true in some rustic
 way of parish priests4 ,however this   
may be1 all their power proceeds1 not   
from themselves1 but from the           

accumulation of goodness left as a      
deposit by the multitudes of            
exceptionally good men who have lived in
 times past1 and who have now no use for
 it4  7#c7 ,thirdly--and this is my     
point--any one1 good or bad1 official or
 non-official1 who is for the moment    
engaged in an opusfaustum can act       
certainly as a conductor or medium1 and 
the influence of what he is touching or 
doing passes to you from him4 ,this is  
admitted by every one who worships      
trees1 wells1 and stones2 and indeed it 
stands to reason1 for it is but a branch
 of the well-known ',sanctificatio ex   
loco1 opere1 tactu vel conditione4' ,i  
will admit that this power is but vague1
 slight1 tenuous1 and dissipatory1 still
 there it is3 though of course its poor 
effect is to that of the ,benedictio    
major what a cat's-paw in the ,solent is
 to a north-east snorter on ,lindsey    
,deeps4  ,i am sorry to have been at    
such length1 but it is necessary to have
 these things thrashed out once for all4

 ,so now you see how ,i1 being on       
pilgrimage1 could give a kind of little 
creeping blessing to the people on the  
way1 though1 as ,st ,louis said to the  
,hascisch-eaters1 ',may it be a long    
time before you can kiss my bones4'  ,so
 ,i entered the ',sun' inn and saw there
 a woman sewing1 a great dull-faced man 
like an ox1 and a youth writing down    
figures in a little book4 ,i said--     
',good morning1 madam1 and sirs1 and the
 company4 ,could you give me a little   
red wine8' ,not a head moved4  ,true ,i 
was very dirty and tired1 and they may  
have thought me a beggar1 to whom1 like 
good sensible ,christians who had no    
nonsense about them1 they would rather  
have given a handsome kick than a cup of
 cold water4 ,however1 ,i think it was  
not only my poverty but a native        
churlishness which bound their bovine   
souls in that valley4  ,i sat down at a 
very clean table4 ,i notice that those  
whom the ,devil has made his own are    
always spick and span1 just as firemen  

who have to go into great furnaces have 
to keep all their gear highly polished4 
,i sat down at it1 and said again1 still
 gently--  ',it is1 indeed1 a fine      
country this of yours4 ,could you give  
me a little red wine8'  ,then the       
ox-faced man who had his back turned to 
me1 and was the worst of the lot1 said  
sulkily1 not to me1 but to the woman--  
',he wants wine4'  ,the woman as sulkily
 said to me1 not looking me in the      
eyes--  ',how much will you pay8'  ,i   
said1 ',bring the wine4 ,set it here4   
,see me drink it4 ,charge me your due4' 
,i found that this brutal way of        
speaking was just what was needed for   
the kine and cattle of this pen4 ,she   
skipped off to a cupboard1 and set wine 
before me1 and a glass4 ,i drank quite  
quietly till ,i had had enough1 and     
asked what there was to pay4 ,she said  
',threepence1' and ,i said ',too much1' 
as ,i paid it4 ,at this the ox-faced man
 grunted and frowned1 and ,i was afraid2
 but hiding my fear ,i walked out boldly

 and slowly1 and made a noise with my   
stick upon the floor of the hall        
without4 ,neither did ,i bid them       
farewell4 ,but ,i made a sign at the    
house as ,i left it4 ,whether it        
suffered from this as did the house at  
,dorchester which the man in the boat   
caused to wither in one night1 is more  
than ,i can tell4  ,the road led        
straight across the valley and          
approached the further wall of hills4   
,these ,i saw were pierced by one of the
 curious gaps which are peculiar to     
limestone ranges4 ,water cuts them1 and 
a torrent ran through this one also4    
,the road through it1 gap though it was1
 went up steeply1 and the further valley
 was evidently higher than the one ,i   
was leaving4 ,it was already evening as 
,i entered this narrow ravine2 the sun  
only caught the tops of the rock-walls4 
,my fatigue was very great1 and my      
walking painful to an extreme1 when1    
having come to a place where the gorge  
was narrowest and where the two sides   

were like the posts of a giant's stile1 
where also the fifth ridge of the ,jura 
stood up beyond me in the further       
valley1 a vast shadow1 ,i sat down      
wearily and drew what not even my       
exhaustion could render unremarkable4   
,while ,i was occupied sketching the    
slabs of limestone1 ,i heard wheels     
coming up behind me1 and a boy in a     
waggon stopped and hailed me4  ,what the
 boy wanted to know was whether ,i would
 take a lift1 and this he said in such  
curious ,french that ,i shuddered to    
think how far ,i had pierced into the   
heart of the hills1 and how soon ,i     
might come to quite strange people4 ,i  
was greatly tempted to get into his     
cart1 but though ,i had broken so many  
of my vows one remained yet whole and   
sound1 which was that ,i would ride upon
 no wheeled thing4 ,remembering this1   
therefore1 and considering that the     
,faith is rich in interpretation1 ,i    
clung on to the waggon in such a manner 
that it did all my work for me1 and yet 

could not be said to be actually        
carrying me4 ,distinguo4 ,the essence of
 a vow is its literal meaning4 ,the     
spirit and intention are for the major  
morality1 and concern ,natural          
,religion1 but when upon a point of     
ritual or of dedication or special      
worship a man talks to you of the       
,spirit and ,intention1 and complains of
 the dryness of the ,word1 look at him  
askance4 ,he is not far removed from    
,heresy4  ,i knew a man once that was   
given to drinking1 and ,i made up this  
rule for him to distinguish between     
,bacchus and the ,devil4 ,to wit3 that  
he should never drink what has been made
 and sold since the ,reformation--,i    
mean especially spirits and champagne4  
,let him 7said ,i7 drink red wine and   
white1 good beer and mead--if he could  
get it--liqueurs made by monks1 and1 in 
a word1 all those feeding1 fortifying1  
and confirming beverages that our       
fathers drank in old time2 but not      
whisky1 nor brandy1 nor sparkling wines1

 not absinthe1 nor the kind of drink    
called gin4 ,this he promised to do1 and
 all went well4 ,he became a merry      
companion1 and began to write odes4 ,his
 prose clarified and set1 that had      
before been very mixed and cloudy4 ,he  
slept well2 he comprehended divine      
things2 he was already half a           
republican1 when one fatal day--it was  
the feast of the eleven thousand        
virgins1 and they were too busy up in   
heaven to consider the needs of us poor 
hobbling1 polyktonous and betempted     
wretches of men--,i went with him to the
 ,society for the ,prevention of        
,annoyances to the ,rich1 where a       
certain usurer's son was to read a paper
 on the cruelty of ,spaniards to their  
mules4 ,as we were all seated there     
round a table with a staring green cloth
 on it1 and a damnable gas pendant      
above1 the host of that evening offered 
him whisky and water1 and1 my back being
 turned1 he took it4 ,then when ,i would
 have taken it from him he used these   

words--  ',after all1 it is the         
intention of a pledge that matters2' and
 ,i saw that all was over1 for he had   
abandoned definition1 and was plunged   
back into the horrible mazes of         
,conscience and ,natural ,religion4     
,what do you think1 then1 was the       
consequence8 ,why1 he had to take some  
nasty pledge or other to drink nothing  
whatever1 and become a spectacle and a  
judgement1 whereas if he had kept his   
exact word he might by this time have   
been a happy man4  ,remembering him and 
pondering upon the advantage of strict  
rule1 ,i hung on to my cart1 taking care
 to let my feet still feel the road1 and
 so passed through the high limestone   
gates of the gorge1 and was in the      
fourth valley of the ,jura1 with the    
fifth ridge standing up black and huge  
before me against the last of the       
daylight4 ,there were as yet no stars4  
,there1 in this silent place1 was the   
little village of ,undervelier1 and ,i  
thanked the boy1 withdrew from his cart1

 and painfully approached the inn1 where
 ,i asked the woman if she could give me
 something to eat1 and she said that she
 could in about an hour1 using1 however1
 with regard to what it was ,i was to   
have1 words which ,i did not understand4
 ,for the ,french had become quite      
barbaric1 and ,i was now indeed lost in 
one of the inner places of the world4   
,a cigar is1 however1 even in           
,undervelier1 a cigar2 and the best cost
 a penny4 ,one of these1 therefore1 ,i  
bought1 and then ,i went out smoking it 
into the village square1 and1 finding a 
low wall1 leaned over it and            
contemplated the glorious clear green   
water tumbling and roaring along beneath
 it on the other side2 for a little     
river ran through the village4  ,as ,i  
leaned there resting and communing ,i   
noticed how their church1 close at hand1
 was built along the low banks of the   
torrent4 ,i admired the luxuriance of   
the grass these waters fed1 and the     
generous arch of the trees beside it4   

,the graves seemed set in a natural     
place of rest and home1 and just beyond 
this churchyard was that marriage of    
hewn stone and water which is the source
 of so peculiar a satisfaction2 for the 
church tower was built boldly right out 
into the stream and the current went    
eddying round it4 ,but why it is that   
strong human building when it dips into 
water should thus affect the mind ,i    
cannot say1 only ,i know that it is an  
emotion apart to see our device and     
structure where it is most enduring come
 up against and challenge that element  
which we cannot conquer1 and which has  
always in it something of danger for    
men4 ,it is therefore well to put strong
 mouldings on to piers and quays1 and to
 make an architecture of them1 and so it
 was a splendid thought of the ,romans  
to build their villas right out to sea2 
so they say does ,venice enthrall one1  
but where ,i have most noticed this     
thing is at the ,mont ,st ,michel--only 
one must take care to shut one's eyes or

 sleep during all the low tide4  ,as ,i 
was watching that stream against those  
old stones1 my cigar being now half     
smoked1 a bell began tolling1 and it    
seemed as if the whole village were     
pouring into the church4 ,at this ,i was
 very much surprised1 not having been   
used at any time of my life to the      
unanimous devotion of an entire         
population1 but having always thought of
 the ,faith as something fighting odds1 
and having seen unanimity only in places
 where some sham religion or other      
glozed over our tragedies and excused   
our sins4 ,certainly to see all the men1
 women1 and children of a place taking  
,catholicism for granted was a new      
sight1 and so ,i put my cigar carefully 
down under a stone on the top of the    
wall and went in with them4 ,i then saw 
that what they were at was vespers4     
,all the village sang1 knowing the      
psalms very well1 and ,i noticed that   
their ,latin was nearer ,german than    
,french2 but what was most pleasing of  

all was to hear from all the men and    
women together that very noble          
good-night and salutation to ,god which 
begins--  ,te1 lucis ante terminum4  ,my
 whole mind was taken up and            
transfigured by this collective act1 and
 ,i saw for a moment the ,catholic      
,church quite plain1 and ,i remembered  
,europe1 and the centuries4 ,then there 
left me altogether that attitude of     
difficulty and combat which1 for us     
others1 is always associated with the   
,faith4 ,the cities dwindled in my      
imagination1 and ,i took less heed of   
the modern noise4 ,i went out with them 
into the clear evening and the cool4 ,i 
found my cigar and lit it again1 and    
musing much more deeply than before1 not
 without tears1 ,i considered the nature
 of ,belief4  ,of its nature it breeds a
 reaction and an indifference4 ,those   
who believe nothing but only think and  
judge cannot understand this4 ,of its   
nature it struggles with us4 ,and we1   
we1 when our youth is full on us1       

invariably reject it and set out in the 
sunlight content with natural things4   
,then for a long time we are like men   
who follow down the cleft of a mountain 
and the peaks are hidden from us and    
forgotten4 ,it takes years to reach the 
dry plain1 and then we look back and see
 our home4  ,what is it1 do you think1  
that causes the return8 ,i think it is  
the problem of living2 for every day1   
every experience of evil1 demands a     
solution4  ,that solution is provided by
 the memory of the great scheme which at
 last we remember4 ,our childhood       
pierces through again444 ,but ,i will   
not attempt to explain it1 for ,i have  
not the power2 only ,i know that we who 
return suffer hard things2 for there    
grows a gulf between us and many        
companions4  ,we are perpetually thrust 
into minorities1 and the world almost   
begins to talk a strange language2 we   
are troubled by the human machinery of a
 perfect and superhuman revelation2 we  
are over-anxious for its safety1        

alarmed1 and in danger of violent       
decisions4  ,and this is hard3 that the 
,faith begins to make one abandon the   
old way of judging4 ,averages and       
movements and the rest grow uncertain4  
,we see things from within and consider 
one mind or a little group as a salt or 
leaven4  ,the very nature of social     
force seems changed to us4 ,and this is 
hard when a man has loved common views  
and is happy only with his fellows4     
,and this again is very hard1 that we   
must once more take up that awful       
struggle to reconcile two truths and to 
keep civic freedom sacred in spite of   
the organization of religion1 and not to
 deny what is certainly true4 ,it is    
hard to accept mysteries1 and to be     
humble4 ,we are tost as the great       
schoolmen were tost1 and we dare not    
neglect the duty of that wrestling4     
,but the hardest thing of all is that it
 leads us away1 as by a command1 from   
all that banquet of the intellect than  
which there is no keener joy known to   

man4  ,i went slowly up the village     
place in the dusk1 thinking of this     
deplorable weakness in men that the     
,faith is too great for them1 and       
accepting it as an inevitable burden4 ,i
 continued to muse with my eyes upon the
 ground444  ,there was to be no more of 
that studious content1 that security in 
historic analysis1 and that constant    
satisfaction of an appetite which never 
cloyed4  ,a wisdom more imperative and  
more profound was to put a term to the  
comfortable wisdom of learning4 ,all the
 balance of judgement1 the easy1 slow   
convictions1 the broad grasp of things1 
the vision of their complexity1 the     
pleasure in their innumerable life--all 
that had to be given up4 ,fanaticisms   
were no longer entirely to be despised1 
just appreciations and a strong grasp of
 reality no longer entirely to be       
admired4  ,the ,catholic ,church will   
have no philosophies4 ,she will permit  
no comforts2 the cry of the martyrs is  
in her far voice2 her eyes that see     

beyond the world present us heaven and  
hell to the confusion of our human      
reconciliations1 our happy blending of  
good and evil things4  ,by the ,lord6 ,i
 begin to think this intimate religion  
as tragic as a great love4 ,there came  
back into my mind a relic that ,i have  
in my house4 ,it is a panel of the old  
door of my college1 having carved on it 
my college arms4 ,i remembered the ,lion
 and the ,shield1 ,haec fuit1 ,haec     
almae janua sacra domus4 ,yes1 certainly
 religion is as tragic as first love1   
and drags us out into the void away from
 our dear homes4  ,it is a good thing to
 have loved one woman from a child1 and 
it is a good thing not to have to return
 to the ,faith4  ,they cook worse in    
,undervelier than any place ,i was ever 
in1 with the possible exception of      
,omaha1 ,neb4  ,,lector4 ,why do you use
 phrases like 'possible exception'8     
,,auctor4 ,why not8 ,i see that all the 
religion ,i have stuck into the book has
 no more effect on you than had         

,rousseau upon ,sir ,henry ,maine4 ,you 
are as full of ,pride as a minor ,devil4
 ,you would avoid the cliche and the    
commonplace1 and the phrase toute faite4
 ,why8 ,not because you naturally write 
odd prose--contrariwise1 left to        
yourself you write pure journalese2 but 
simply because you are swelled and      
puffed up with a desire to pose4 ,you   
want what the ,martha ,brown school     
calls 'distinction' in prose4 ,my little
 friend1 ,i know how it is done1 and ,i 
find it contemptible4 ,people write     
their articles at full speed1 putting   
down their unstudied and valueless      
conclusions in ,english as pale as a    
film of dirty wax--sometimes even they  
dictate to a typewriter4 ,then they sit 
over it with a blue pencil and carefully
 transpose the split infinitives1 and   
write alternative adjectives1 and take  
words away out of their natural place in
 the sentence and generally put the     
,queen's ,english--yes1 the ,queen's    
,english--on the rack4 ,and who is a    

penny the better for it8 ,the silly     
authors get no real praise1 not even in 
the horrible stucco villas where their  
clique meet on ,sundays4 ,the poor      
public buys the ,marvel and gasps at the
 cleverness of the writing and despairs1
 and has to read what it can understand1
 and is driven back to toshy novels     
about problems1 written by cooks4 ',the 
hungry sheep1' as some one says         
somewhere1 'look up and are not fed2'   
and the same poet well describes your   
pipings as being on wretched straw pipes
 that are 'scrannel'--a good word4  ,oh1
 for one man who should write healthy1  
hearty1 straightforward ,english6  ,oh1 
for ,cobbett6 ,there are indeed some    
great men who write twistedly simply    
because they cannot help it1 but their  
honesty is proved by the mass they turn 
out4 ,what do you turn out1 you higglers
 and sticklers8 ,perhaps a bad triolet  
every six months1 and a book of         
criticism on something thoroughly       
threadbare once in five years4 ,if ,i   

had my way--  ,,lector4 ,i am sorry to  
have provoked all this4  ,,auctor4 ,not 
at all6 ,not at all6 ,i trust ,i have   
made myself clear4  ,well1 as ,i was    
saying1 they cook worse at ,undervelier 
than any place ,i was ever in1 with the 
possible exception of ,omaha1 ,neb4     
,however1 ,i forgave them1 because they 
were such good people1 and after a short
 and bitter night ,i went out in the    
morning before the sun rose and took the
 ,moutier road4  ,the valley in which ,i
 was now engaged--the phrase seems      
familiar--was more or less like an ,h4  
,that is1 there were two high parallel  
ranges bounding it1 but across the      
middle a low ridge of perhaps a thousand
 feet4 ,the road slowly climbed this    
ridge through pastures where cows with  
deep-toned bells were rising from the   
dew on the grass1 and where one or two  
little cottages and a village already   
sent up smoke4 ,all the way up ,i was   
thinking of the surfeit of religion ,i  
had had the night before1 and also of   

how ,i had started that morning without 
bread or coffee1 which was a folly4     
,when ,i got to the top of the ridge    
there was a young man chopping wood     
outside a house1 and ,i asked him in    
,french how far it was to ,moutier4 ,he 
answered in ,german1 and ,i startled him
 by a loud cry1 such as sailors give    
when they see land1 for at last ,i had  
struck the boundary of the languages1   
and was with pure foreigners for the    
first time in my life4 ,i also asked him
 for coffee1 and as he refused it ,i    
took him to be a heretic and went down  
the road making up verses against all   
such1 and singing them loudly through   
the forest that now arched over me and  
grew deeper as ,i descended4  ,and my   
first verse was--    ,heretics all1     
whoever you be1   ,in ,tarbes or ,nimes1
 or over the sea1   ,you never shall    
have good words from me4   ,caritas non 
conturbat me4  ,if you ask me why ,i put
 a ,latin line at the end1 it was       
because ,i had to show that it was a    

song connected with the ,universal      
,fountain and with ,european culture1   
and with all that ,heresy combats4 ,i   
sang it to a lively hymn-tune that ,i   
had invented for the occasion4  ,i then 
thought what a fine fellow ,i was1 and  
how pleasant were my friends when ,i    
agreed with them4 ,i made up this second
 verse1 which ,i sang even more loudly  
than the first2 and the forest grew     
deeper1 sending back echoes--    ,but   
,catholic men that live upon wine   ,are
 deep in the water1 and frank1 and fine2
   ,wherever ,i travel ,i find it so1   
,benedicamus ,domino4  ,there is no     
doubt1 however1 that if one is really   
doing a catholic work1 and expressing   
one's attitude to the world1 charity1   
pity1 and a great sense of fear should  
possess one1 or1 at least1 appear4 ,so  
,i made up this third verse and sang it 
to suit--    ,on childing women that are
 forlorn1   ,and men that sweat in      
nothing but scorn3   ,that is on all    
that ever were born1   ,miserere        

,domine4  ,then1 as everything ends in  
death1 and as that is just what         
,heretics least like to be reminded of1 
,i ended thus--    ,to my poor self on  
my deathbed1   ,and all my dear         
companions dead1   ,because of the love 
that ,i bore them1   ,dona ,eis         
,requiem4  ,i say ',i ended4' ,but ,i   
did not really end there1 for ,i also   
wrote in the spirit of the rest a verse 
of ,mea ,culpa and ,confession of ,sin1 
but ,i shall not print it here4  ,so my 
song over and the woods now left behind1
 ,i passed up a dusty piece of road into
 ,moutier1 a detestable town1 all       
whitewashed and orderly1 down under the 
hills4  ,i was tired1 for the sun was   
now long risen and somewhat warm1 and ,i
 had walked ten miles1 and that over a  
high ridge2 and ,i had written a        
canticle and sung it--- and all that    
without a sup or a bite4 ,i therefore   
took bread1 coffee1 and soup in         
,moutier1 and then going a little way   
out of the town ,i crossed a stream off 

the road1 climbed a knoll1 and1 lying   
under a tree1 ,i slept4  ,i awoke and   
took the road4  ,the road after ,moutier
 was not a thing for lyrics2 it stirred 
me in no way4  ,it was bare in the      
sunlight1 had fields on either side2 and
 in the fields stood houses4 ,in the    
houses were articulately-speaking mortal
 men4  ,there is a school of ,poets 7,i 
cannot read them myself7 who treat of   
common things1 and their admirers tell  
us that these men raise the things of   
everyday life to the plane of the       
supernatural4 ,note that phrase1 for it 
is a shaft of light through a cloud     
revealing their disgusting minds4       
,everyday life6 ,as ,la ,croix said in a
 famous leading article3 ',la ,presse8' 
,,pooh6' ,i know that everyday life4 ,it
 goes with sandals and pictures of lean 
ugly people all just like one another in
 browny photographs on the wall1 and    
these pictures are called1 one ',the    
,house of ,life'1 or another1 ',the     
,place ,beautiful'1 or yet again a      

third1 ',the ,lamp of the ,valley'1 and 
when you complain and shift about       
uneasily before these pictures1 the     
scrub-minded and dusty-souled owners of 
them tell you that of course in         
photographs you lose the marvellous     
colour of the original4 ,this everyday  
life has mantelpieces made of the same  
stuff as cafe-tables1 so that by        
instinct ,i try to make rings on them   
with my wine-glass1 and the people who  
suffer this life get up every morning at
 eight1 and the poor sad men of the     
house slave at wretched articles and    
come home to hear more literature and   
more appreciations1 and the unholy women
 do nothing and attend to local         
government1 that is1 the oppression of  
the poor2 and altogether this accursed  
everyday life of theirs is instinct with
 the four sins crying to heaven for     
vengeance1 and there is no humanity in  
it1 and no simplicity1 and no           
recollection4 ,i know whole quarters of 
the towns of that life where they have  

never heard of ,virtus or ,verecundia or
 ,pietas4  ,,lector4 ,then--  ,,auctor4 
,alas6 alas6 ,dear ,lector1 in these    
houses there is no honest dust4  ,not a 
bottle of good wine or bad2 no prints   
inherited from one's uncle1 and no      
children's books by ,mrs ,barbauld or   
,miss ,edgeworth2 no human disorder1    
nothing of that organic comfort which   
makes a man's house like a bear's fur   
for him4 ,they have no debts1 they do   
not read in bed1 and they will have     
difficulty in saving their souls4       
,,lector4 ,then tell me1 how would you  
treat of common things8  ,,auctor4 ,why1
 ,i would leave them alone2 but if ,i   
had to treat of them ,i will show you   
how ,i would do it4 ,let us have a      
dialogue about this road from ,moutier4 
,,lector4 ,by all means4  ,,auctor4     
,what a terrible thing it is to miss    
one's sleep4 ,i can hardly bear the heat
 of the road1 and my mind is empty6     
,,lector4 ,why1 you have just slept in a
 wood6  ,,auctor4 ,yes1 but that is not 

enough4 ,one must sleep at night4       
,,lector4 ,my brother often complains of
 insomnia4 ,he is a policeman4          
,,auctor4 ,indeed8 ,it is a sad         
affliction4  ,,lector4 ,yes1 indeed4    
,,auctor4 ,indeed1 yes4  ,,lector4 ,i   
cannot go on like this4  ,,auctor4      
,there4 ,that is just what ,i was       
saying4 ,one cannot treat of common     
things3 it is not literature2 and for my
 part1 if ,i were the editor even of a  
magazine1 and the author stuck in a     
string of dialogue1 ,i would not pay him
 by the page but by the word1 and ,i    
would count off #e per cent for         
epigrams1 #aj per cent for dialect1 and 
some quarter or so for those stage      
directions in italics which they use to 
pad out their work4  ,so4 ,i will not   
repeat this experiment1 but next time ,i
 come to a bit of road about which there
 is nothing to say1 ,i will tell a story
 or sing a song1 and to that ,i pledge  
myself4  ,by the way1 ,i am reminded of 
something4 ,do you know those books and 

stories in which parts of the dialogues 
often have no words at all8 ,only dots  
and dashes and asterisks and            
interrogations8 ,i wonder what the      
people are paid for it8 ,if ,i knew ,i  
would earn a mint of money1 for ,i      
believe ,i have a talent for it4 ,look  
at this--  ,there4 ,that seems to me    
worth a good deal more money than all   
the modern 'delineation of character'1  
and 'folk' nonsense ever written4 ,what 
verve6  ,what terseness6 ,and yet how   
clear6  ,,lector4 ,let us be getting on4
  ,,auctor4 ,by all means1 and let us   
consider more enduring things4  ,after a
 few miles the road going upwards1 ,i   
passed through another gap in the hills 
and--  ,,lector4 ,pardon me1 but ,i am  
still ruminating upon that little       
tragedy of yours4 ,why was the guardian 
a duchess8  ,,auctor4 ,well1 it was a   
short play and modern1 was it not8      
,,lector4 ,yes4 ,and therefore1 of      
course1 you must have a title in it4 ,i 
know that4 ,i do not object to it4 ,what

 ,i want to know is1 why a duchess8     
,,auctor4 ,on account of the reduction  
of scale3 the concentration of the      
thing4 ,you see in the full play there  
would have been a lord1 two baronets1   
and say three ladies1 and ,i could have 
put suitable words into their mouths4   
,as it was ,i had to make absolutely    
sure of the element of nobility without 
any help1 and1 as it were1 in one       
startling moment4 ,do you follow8  ,is  
it not art8  ,i cannot conceive why a   
pilgrimage1 an adventure so naturally   
full of great1 wonderful1 far-off and   
holy things should breed such fantastic 
nonsense as all this2 but remember at   
least the little acolyte of ,rheims1    
whose father1 in #aeab1 seeing him apt  
for religion1 put him into a cassock and
 designed him for the ,church1 whereupon
 the youngling began to be as careless  
and devilish as ,mercury1 putting       
beeswax on the misericords1 burning     
feathers in the censer1 and even going  
round himself with the plate without    

leave and scolding the rich in loud     
whispers when they did not put in       
enough4 ,so one way with another they   
sent him home to his father2 the        
archbishop thrusting him out of the     
south porch with his own hands and      
giving him the ,common or ,ferial       
,malediction1 which is much the same as 
that used by carters to stray dogs4     
,when his father saw him he fumed       
terribly1 cursing like a pagan1 and     
asking whether his son were a roysterer 
fit for the gallows as well as a fool   
fit for a cassock4 ,on hearing which    
complaint the son very humbly and       
contritely said--  ',it is not my fault 
but the contact with the things of the  
,church that makes me gambol and frisk1 
just as the ,devil they say is a good   
enough fellow left to himself and is    
only moderately heated1 yet when you put
 him into holy water all the world is   
witness how he hisses and boils4'  ,the 
boy then taking a little lamb which     
happened to be in the drawing-room1     

said--  ',father1 see this little lamb2 
how demure he is and how simple and     
innocent1 and how foolish and how       
tractable4 ,yet observe6' ,with that he 
whipped the cassock from his arm where  
he was carrying it and threw it all over
 the lamb1 covering his head and body2  
and the lamb began plunging and kicking 
and bucking and rolling and heaving and 
sliding and rearing and pawing and most 
vigorously wrestling with the clerical  
and hierarchically constraining garment 
of darkness1 and bleating all the while 
more and more angrily and loudly1 for   
all the world like the great goat       
,baphomet himself when the witches dance
 about him on ,all-hallowe'en4 ,but when
 the boy suddenly plucked off the       
cassock again1 the lamb1 after sneezing 
a little and finding his feet1 became   
quite gentle once more1 and looked only 
a little confused and dazed4  ',there1  
father1' said the boy1 'is proof to you 
of how the meekest may be driven to     
desperation by the shackles ,i speak of1

 and which ,i pray you never lay upon me
 again4'  ,his father finding him so    
practical and wise made over his whole  
fortune and business to him1 and thus   
escaped the very heavy ,heriot and      
,death ,dues of those days1 for he was a
 ,socage tenant of ,st ,remi in ,double 
,burgage4 ,but we stopped all that here 
in ,england by the statute of ,uses1 and
 ,i must be getting back to the road    
before the dark catches me4  ,as ,i was 
saying1 ,i came to a gap in the hills1  
and there was there a house or two      
called ,gansbrunnen1 and one of the     
houses was an inn4 ,just by the inn the 
road turned away sharply up the valley2 
the very last slope of the ,jura1 the   
last parallel ridge1 lay straight before
 me all solemn1 dark1 and wooded1 and   
making a high feathery line against the 
noon4 ,to cross this there was but a    
vague path rather misleading1 and the   
name of the mountain was ,weissenstein4 
,so before that last effort which should
 lead me over those thousands of feet1  

and to nourish ,instinct 7which would be
 of use to me when ,i got into that     
impenetrable wood71 ,i turned into the  
inn for wine4  ,a very old woman having 
the appearance of a witch sat at a dark 
table by the little criss-cross window  
of the dark room4 ,she was crooning to  
herself1 and ,i made the sign of the    
evil eye and asked her in ,french for   
wine2 but ,french she did not           
understand4 ,catching1 however1 two     
words which sounded like the ,english   
',white' and ',red'1 ,i said ',yaw'     
after the last and nodded1 and she      
brought up a glass of exceedingly good  
red wine which ,i drank in silence1 she 
watching me uncannily4  ,then ,i paid   
her with a five-franc piece1 and she    
gave me a quantity of small change      
rapidly1 which1 as ,i counted it1 ,i    
found to contain one ,greek piece of    
fifty lepta very manifestly of lead4    
,this ,i held up angrily before her1 and
 7not without courage1 for it is hard to
 deal with the darker powers7 ,i recited

 to her slowly that familiar verse which
 the well-known ,satyricus ,empiricius  
was for ever using in his now classical 
attacks on the grammarians2 and without 
any ,alexandrian twaddle of accents ,i  
intoned to her--and so left her         
astounded to repentance or to shame4    
,then ,i went out into the sunlight1 and
 crossing over running water put myself 
out of her power4  ,the wood went up    
darkly and the path branched here and   
there so that ,i was soon uncertain of  
my way1 but ,i followed generally what  
seemed to me the most southerly course1 
and so came at last up steeply through a
 dip or ravine that ended high on the   
crest of the ridge4  ,just as ,i came to
 the end of the rise1 after perhaps an  
hour1 perhaps two1 of that great curtain
 of forest which had held the mountain  
side1 the trees fell away to brushwood1 
there was a gate1 and then the path was 
lost upon a fine open sward which was   
the very top of the ,jura and the coping
 of that multiple wall which defends the

 ,swiss ,plain4 ,i had crossed it       
straight from edge to edge1 never       
turning out of my way4  ,it was too     
marshy to lie down on it1 so ,i stood a 
moment to breathe and look about me4    
,it was evident that nothing higher     
remained1 for though a new line of      
wood--firs and beeches--stood before me1
 yet nothing appeared above them1 and ,i
 knew that they must be the fringe of   
the descent4 ,i approached this edge of 
wood1 and saw that it had a rough fence 
of post and rails bounding it1 and as ,i
 was looking for the entry of a path    
7for my original path was lost1 as such 
tracks are1 in the damp grass of the    
little down7 there came to me one of    
those great revelations which betray to 
us suddenly the higher things and stand 
afterwards firm in our minds4  ,there1  
on this upper meadow1 where so far ,i   
had felt nothing but the ordinary       
gladness of ,the ,summit1 ,i had a      
vision4  ,what was it ,i saw8 ,if you   
think ,i saw this or that1 and if you   

think ,i am inventing the words1 you    
know nothing of men4  ,i saw between the
 branches of the trees in front of me a 
sight in the sky that made me stop      
breathing1 just as great danger at sea1 
or great surprise in love1 or a great   
deliverance will make a man stop        
breathing4 ,i saw something ,i had known
 in the ,west as a boy1 something ,i had
 never seen so grandly discovered as was
 this4 ,in between the branches of the  
trees was a great promise of unexpected 
lights beyond4  ,i pushed left and right
 along that edge of the forest and along
 the fence that bound it1 until ,i found
 a place where the pine-trees stopped1  
leaving a gap1 and where on the right1  
beyond the gap1 was a tree whose leaves 
had failed2 there the ground broke away 
steeply below me1 and the beeches fell1 
one below the other1 like a vast        
cascade1 towards the limestone cliffs   
that dipped down still further1 beyond  
my sight4 ,i looked through this framing
 hollow and praised ,god4 ,for there    

below me1 thousands of feet below me1   
was what seemed an illimitable plain2 at
 the end of that world was an horizon1  
and the dim bluish sky that overhangs an
 horizon4  ,there was brume in it and   
thickness4 ,one saw the sky beyond the  
edge of the world getting purer as the  
vault rose4 ,but right up--a belt in    
that empyrean--ran peak and field and   
needle of intense ice1 remote1 remote   
from the world4 ,sky beneath them and   
sky above them1 a steadfast legion1 they
 glittered as though with the armour of 
the immovable armies of ,heaven4 ,two   
days' march1 three days' march away1    
they stood up like the walls of ,eden4  
,i say it again1 they stopped my breath4
 ,i had seen them4  ,so little are we1  
we men3 so much are we immersed in our  
muddy and immediate interests that we   
think1 by numbers and recitals1 to      
comprehend distance or time1 or any of  
our limiting infinities4 ,here were     
these magnificent creatures of ,god1 ,i 
mean the ,alps1 which now for the first 

time ,i saw from the height of the      
,jura2 and because they were fifty or   
sixty miles away1 and because they were 
a mile or two high1 they were become    
something different from us others1 and 
could strike one motionless with the awe
 of supernatural things4 ,up there in   
the sky1 to which only clouds belong and
 birds and the last trembling colours of
 pure light1 they stood fast and hard2  
not moving as do the things of the sky4 
,they were as distant as the little     
upper clouds of summer1 as fine and     
tenuous2 but in their reflection and in 
their quality as it were of weapons     
7like spears and shields of an unknown  
array7 they occupied the sky with a     
sublime invasion3 and the things proper 
to the sky were forgotten by me in their
 presence as ,i gazed4  ,to what emotion
 shall ,i compare this astonishment8    
,so1 in first love one finds that this  
can belong to me4  ,their sharp         
steadfastness and their clean uplifted  
lines compelled my adoration4 ,up there1

 the sky above and below them1 part of  
the sky1 but part of us1 the great peaks
 made communion between that homing     
creeping part of me which loves         
vineyards and dances and a slow movement
 among pastures1 and that other part    
which is only properly at home in       
,heaven4 ,i say that this kind of       
description is useless1 and that it is  
better to address prayers to such things
 than to attempt to interpret them for  
others4  ,these1 the great ,alps1 seen  
thus1 link one in some way to one's     
immortality4 ,nor is it possible to     
convey1 or even to suggest1 those few   
fifty miles1 and those few thousand     
feet2 there is something more4 ,let me  
put it thus3 that from the height of    
,weissenstein ,i saw1 as it were1 my    
religion4 ,i mean1 humility1 the fear of
 death1 the terror of height and of     
distance1 the glory of ,god1 the        
infinite potentiality of reception      
whence springs that divine thirst of the
 soul2 my aspiration also towards       

completion1 and my confidence in the    
dual destiny4 ,for ,i know that we      
laughers have a gross cousinship with   
the most high1 and it is this contrast  
and perpetual quarrel which feeds a     
spring of merriment in the soul of a    
sane man4  ,since ,i could now see such 
a wonder and it could work such things  
in my mind1 therefore1 some day ,i      
should be part of it4 ,that is what ,i  
felt4  ,this it is also which leads some
 men to climb mountain-tops1 but not me1
 for ,i am afraid of slipping down4     
,then you will say1 if ,i felt all this1
 why do ,i draw it1 and put it in my    
book1 seeing that my drawings are only  
for fun8 ,my jest drags down such a     
memory and makes it ludicrous4 ,well1 ,i
 said in my beginning that ,i would note
 down whatever most impressed me1 except
 figures1 which ,i cannot draw 7,i mean 
figures of human beings1 for            
mathematical figures ,i can draw well   
enough71 and ,i have never failed in    
this promise1 except where1 as in the   

case of ,porrentruy1 my drawing was     
blown away by the wind and lost--- if   
anything ever is lost4 ,so ,i put down  
here this extraordinary drawing of what 
,i saw1 which is about as much like it  
as a printed song full of misprints is  
to that same song sung by an army on the
 march4 ,and ,i am consoled by          
remembering that if ,i could draw       
infinitely well1 then it would become   
sacrilege to attempt to draw that sight4
 ,moreover1 ,i am not going to waste any
 more time discussing why ,i put in this
 little drawing4 ,if it disturbs your   
conception of what it was ,i saw1 paste 
over it a little bit of paper4 ,i have  
made it small for the purpose2 but      
remember that the paper should be thin  
and opaque1 for thick paper will        
interfere with the shape of this book1  
and transparent paper will disturb you  
with a memory of the picture4  ,it was  
all full of this1 as a man is full of   
music just after hearing it1 that ,i    
plunged down into the steep forest that 

led towards the great plain2 then1      
having found a path1 ,i worked zig-zag  
down it by a kind of gully that led     
through to a place where the limestone  
cliffs were broken1 and 7so my map told 
me7 to the town of ,soleure1 which      
stands at the edge of the plain upon the
 river ,aar4  ,i was an hour or more    
going down the enormous face of the     
,jura1 which is here an escarpment1 a   
cliff of great height1 and contains but 
few such breaks by which men can pick   
their way4 ,it was when ,i was about    
half-way down the mountain side that its
 vastness most impressed me4 ,and yet it
 had been but a platform as it were1    
from which to view the ,alps and their  
much greater sublimity4  ,this vastness1
 even of these limestone mountains1 took
 me especially at a place where the path
 bordered a steep1 or rather            
precipitous1 lift of white rock to which
 only here and there a tree could cling4
  ,i was still very high up1 but looking
 somewhat more eastward than before1 and

 the plain went on inimitably towards   
some low vague hills2 nor in that       
direction could any snow be seen in the 
sky4 ,then at last ,i came to the slopes
 which make a little bank under the     
mountains1 and there1 finding a         
highroad1 and oppressed somewhat        
suddenly by the afternoon heat of those 
low places1 ,i went on more slowly      
towards ,soleure4  ,beside me1 on the   
road1 were many houses1 shaded by great 
trees1 built of wood1 and standing      
apart4 ,to each of them almost was a    
little water-wheel1 run by the spring   
which came down out of the ravine4 ,the 
water-wheel in most cases worked a      
simple little machine for sawing planks1
 but in other cases it seemed used for  
some purpose inside the house1 which ,i 
could not divine2 perhaps for spinning4 
,all this place was full of working1 and
 the men sang and spoke at their work in
 ,german1 which ,i could not understand4
 ,i did indeed find one man1 a young    
hay-making man carrying a scythe1 who   

knew a little ,french and was going my  
way4 ,i asked him1 therefore1 to teach  
me ,german1 but he had not taught me    
much before we were at the gates of the 
old town and then ,i left him4 ,it is   
thus1 you will see1 that for my next    
four days or five1 which were passed    
among the ,german-speaking ,swiss1 ,i   
was utterly alone4  ,this book must not 
go on for ever2 therefore ,i cannot say 
very much about ,soleure1 although there
 is a great deal to be said about it4   
,it is distinguished by an impression of
 unity1 and of civic life1 which ,i had 
already discovered in all these ,swiss  
towns2 for though men talk of finding   
the ,middle ,ages here or there1 ,i for 
my part never find it1 save where there 
has been democracy to preserve it4 ,thus
 ,i have seen the ,middle ,ages         
especially alive in the small towns of  
,northern ,france1 and ,i have seen the 
,middle ,ages in the ,university of     
,paris4 ,here also in ,switzerland4 ,as 
,i had seen it at ,st ,ursanne1 so ,i   

found it now at ,soleure4 ,there were   
huge gates flanking the town1 and there 
was that evening a continual noise of   
rifles1 at which the ,swiss are for ever
 practising4 ,over the church1 however1 
,i saw something terribly seventeenth   
century1 namely1 ,jaweh in great ,hebrew
 letters upon its front4  ,well1 dining 
there of the best they had to give me   
7for this was another milestone in my   
pilgrimage71 ,i became foolishly        
refreshed and valiant1 and instead of   
sleeping in ,soleure1 as a wise man     
would have done1 ,i determined1 though  
it was now nearly dark1 to push on upon 
the road to ,burgdorf4  ,i therefore    
crossed the river ,aar1 which is here   
magnificently broad and strong1 and has 
bastions jutting out into it in a very  
bold fashion4 ,i saw the last colourless
 light of evening making its waters seem
 like dull metal between the gloomy     
banks2 ,i felt the beginnings of        
fatigue1 and half regretted my          
determination4 ,but as it is quite      

certain that one should never go back1  
,i went on in the darkness1 ,i do not   
know how many miles1 till ,i reached    
some cross roads and an inn4  ,this inn 
was very poor1 and the people had never 
heard in their lives1 apparently1 that a
 poor man on foot might not be able to  
talk ,german1 which seemed to me an     
astonishing thing2 and as ,i sat there  
ordering beer for myself and for a      
number of peasants 7who but for this    
would have me their butt1 and even as it
 was found something monstrous in me71  
,i pondered during my continual attempts
 to converse with them 7for ,i had      
picked up some ten words of their       
language7 upon the folly of those who   
imagine the world to be grown smaller by
 railways4  ,i suppose this place was   
more untouched1 as the phrase goes1 that
 is1 more living1 more intense1 and more
 powerful to affect others1 whenever it 
may be called to do so1 than are even   
the dear villages of ,sussex that lie   
under my downs4 ,for those are haunted  

by a nearly cosmopolitan class of       
gentry1 who will have actors1           
financiers1 and what not to come and    
stay with them1 and who read the paper1 
and from time to time address their     
village folk upon matters of politics4  
,but here1 in this broad plain by the   
banks of the ,emmen1 they knew of       
nothing but themselves and the ,church  
which is the common bond of ,europe1 and
 they were in the right way4 ,hence it  
was doubly hard on me that they should  
think me such a stranger4  ,when ,i had 
become a little morose at their         
perpetual laughter1 ,i asked for a bed1 
and the landlady1 a woman of some       
talent1 showed me on her fingers that   
the beds were #ej;c41 #ge;c41 and a     
franc4 ,i determined upon the best1 and 
was given indeed a very pleasant room1  
having in it the statue of a saint1 and 
full of a country air4 ,but ,i had done 
too much in this night march1 as you    
will presently learn1 for my next day   
was a day without salt1 and in it       

appreciation left me4 ,and this         
breakdown of appreciation was due to    
what ,i did not know at the time to be  
fatigue1 but to what was undoubtedly a  
deep inner exhaustion4  ,when ,i awoke  
next morning it was as it always is3 no 
one was awake1 and ,i had the field to  
myself1 to slip out as ,i chose4 ,i     
looked out of the window into the dawn4 
,the race had made its own surroundings4
  ,these people who suffocated with     
laughter at the idea of one's knowing no
 ,german1 had produced1 as it were1 a   
,german picture by the mere influence of
 years and years of similar thoughts4   
,out of my window ,i saw the eaves      
coming low down4 ,i saw an apple-tree   
against the grey light4 ,the tangled    
grass in the little garden1 the         
dog-kennel1 and the standing butt were  
all what ,i had seen in those ,german   
pictures which they put into books for  
children1 and which are drawn in thick  
black lines3 nor did ,i see any reason  
why tame faces should not appear in that

 framework4 ,i expected the light lank  
hair and the heavy unlifting step of the
 people whose only emotions are in      
music4  ,but it was too early for any   
one to be about1 and my ,german garden1 
si j'ose m'exprimer ainsi1 had to       
suffice me for an impression of the     
,central ,europeans4 ,i gazed at it a   
little while as it grew lighter4 ,then  
,i went downstairs and slipped the latch
 7which1 being ,german1 was of a quaint 
design74 ,i went out into the road and  
sighed profoundly4  ,all that day was   
destined to be covered1 so far as my    
spirit was concerned1 with a motionless 
lethargy4 ,nothing seemed properly to   
interest or to concern me1 and not till 
evening was ,i visited by any muse4     
,even my pain 7which was now dull and   
chronic7 was no longer a subject for my 
entertainment1 and ,i suffered from an  
uneasy isolation that had not the merit 
of sharpness and was no spur to the     
mind4 ,i had the feeling that every one 
,i might see would be a stranger1 and   

that their language would be unfamiliar 
to me1 and this1 unlike most men who    
travel1 ,i had never felt before4  ,the 
reason being this3 that if a man has    
,english thoroughly he can wander over a
 great part of the world familiarly1 and
 meet men with whom he can talk4 ,and if
 he has ,french thoroughly all ,italy1  
and ,i suppose ,spain1 certainly        
,belgium1 are open to him4 ,not perhaps 
that he will understand what he hears or
 will be understood of others1 but that 
the order and nature of the words and   
the gestures accompanying them are his  
own4 ,here1 however1 ,i1 to whom        
,english and ,french were the same1 was 
to spend 7it seemed7 whole days among a 
people who put their verbs at the end1  
where the curses or the endearments come
 in ,french and ,english1 and many of   
whose words stand for ideas we have not 
got4 ,i had no room for good-fellowship4
 ,i could not sit at tables and expand  
the air with terrible stories of        
adventure1 nor ask about their politics1

 nor provoke them to laughter or sadness
 by my tales4 ,it seemed a poor         
pilgrimage taken among dumb men4  ,also 
,i have no doubt that ,i had experienced
 the ebb of some vitality1 for it is the
 saddest thing about us that this bright
 spirit with which we are lit from      
within like lanterns1 can suffer        
dimness4 ,such frailty makes one fear   
that extinction is our final destiny1   
and it saps us with numbness1 and we are
 less than ourselves4 ,seven nights had 
,i been on pilgrimage1 and two of them  
had ,i passed in the open4 ,seven great 
heights had ,i climbed3 the ,forest1    
,archettes1 the ,ballon1 the ,mont      
,terrible1 the ,watershed1 the pass by  
,moutier1 the ,weissenstein4 ,seven     
depths had ,i fallen to3 twice to the   
,moselle1 the gap of ,belfort1 the gorge
 of the ,doubs1 ,glovelier valley1 the  
hole of ,moutier1 and now this plain of 
the ,aar4 ,i had marched #ahj miles4 ,it
 was no wonder that on this eighth day  
,i was oppressed and that all the light 

long ,i drank no good wine1 met no one  
to remember well1 nor sang any songs4   
,all this part of my way was full of    
what they call ,duty1 and ,i was        
sustained only by my knowledge that the 
vast mountains 7which had disappeared7  
would be part of my life very soon if ,i
 still went on steadily towards ,rome4  
,the sun had risen when ,i reached      
,burgdorf1 and ,i there went to a       
railway station1 and outside of it drank
 coffee and ate bread4 ,i also bought   
old newspapers in ,french1 and looked at
 everything wearily and with sad eyes4  
,there was nothing to draw4 ,how can a  
man draw pain in the foot and knee8     
,and that was all there was remarkable  
at that moment4  ,i watched a train come
 in4 ,it was full of tourists1 who 7it  
may have been a subjective illusion7    
seemed to me common and worthless       
people1 and sad into the bargain4 ,it   
was going to ,interlaken2 and ,i felt a 
languid contempt for people who went to 
,interlaken instead of driving right    

across the great hills to ,rome4  ,after
 an hour1 or so of this melancholy      
dawdling1 ,i put a map before me on a   
little marble table1 ordered some more  
coffee1 and blew into my tepid life a   
moment of warmth by the effort of coming
 to a necessary decision4 ,i had 7for   
the first time since ,i had left        
,lorraine7 the choice of two roads2 and 
why this was so the following map will  
make clear4  ,here you see that there is
 no possibility of following the        
straight way to ,rome1 but that one must
 go a few miles east or west of it4     
,from ,burgundy one has to strike a     
point on the sources of the ,emmen1 and 
,burgdorf is on the ,emmen4 ,therefore  
one might follow the ,emmen all the way 
up4 ,but it seemed that the road climbed
 up above a gorge that way1 whereas by  
the other 7which is just as straight7   
the road is good 7it seemed7 and fairly 
level4  ,so ,i chose this latter        
,eastern way1 which1 at the bifurcation1
 takes one up a tributary of the ,emmen1

 then over a rise to the ,upper ,emmen  
again4  ,do you want it made plainer    
than that8 ,i should think not4 ,and1   
tell me--what can it profit you to know 
these geographical details8 ,believe me1
 ,i write them down for my own          
gratification1 not yours4  ,i say a day 
without salt4 ,a trudge4 ,the air was   
ordinary1 the colours common2 men1      
animals1 and trees indifferent4         
,something had stopped working4  ,our   
energy also is from ,god1 and we should 
never be proud of it1 even if we can    
cover thirty miles day after day 7as ,i 
can71 or bend a peony in one's hand as  
could ,frocot1 the driver in my piece--a
 man you never knew--or write bad verse 
very rapidly as can so many moderns4 ,i 
say our energy also is from ,god1 and we
 should never be proud of it as though  
it were from ourselves1 but we should   
accept it as a kind of present1 and we  
should be thankful for it2 just as a man
 should thank ,god for his reason1 as   
did the madman in the ,story of the     

,rose1 who thanked ,god that he at least
 was sane though all the rest of the    
world had recently lost their reason4   
,indeed1 this defaillance and breakdown 
which comes from time to time over the  
mind is a very sad thing1 but it can be 
made of great use to us if we will draw 
from it the lesson that we ourselves are
 nothing4 ,perhaps it is a grace4       
,perhaps in these moments our minds     
repose444 ,anyhow1 a day without salt4  
,you understand that under 7or in7 these
 circumstances--  ,when ,i was at       
,oxford there was a great and terrible  
debate that shook the ,empire1 and that 
intensely exercised the men whom we send
 out to govern the ,empire1 and which1  
therefore1 must have had its effect upon
 the ,empire1 as to whether one should  
say 'under these circumstances' or 'in  
these circumstances'2 nor did ,i settle 
matters by calling a conclave and       
suggesting ,quae quum ita sint as a     
common formula1 because a new debate    
arose upon when you should say sint and 

when you should say sunt1 and they all  
wrangled like kittens in a basket4      
,until there rose a deep-voiced man from
 an outlying college1 who said1 ',for my
 part ,i will say that under these      
circumstances1 or in these              
circumstances1 or in spite of these     
circumstances1 or hovering playfully    
above these circumstances1 or--  ,i take
 you all for ,fools and ,pedants1 in the
 ,chief1 in the ,chevron1 and in the    
quarter ,fess4 ,fools absolute1 and     
,pedants lordless4 ,free ,fools1        
unlanded ,fools1 and ,fools             
incommensurable1 and ,pedants displayed 
and rampant of the ,tierce ,major4      
,fools incalculable and ,pedants        
irreparable2 indeed1 the arch           
,fool-pedants in a universe of pedantic 
folly and foolish pedantry1 ,o you      
pedant-fools of the world6'  ,but by    
this time he was alone1 and thus was    
this great question never properly      
decided4  ,under these circumstances1   
then 7or in these circumstances71 it    

would profit you but little if ,i were  
to attempt the description of the       
,valley of the ,emmen1 of the first     
foot-hills of the ,alps1 and of the very
 uninteresting valley which runs on from
 ,langnau4  ,i had best employ my time  
in telling the story of the ,hungry     
,student4  ,,lector4 ,and if you are so 
worn-out and bereft of all emotions1 how
 can you tell a story8  ,,auctor4 ,these
 two conditions permit me4 ,first1 that 
,i am writing some time after1 and that 
,i have recovered2 secondly1 that the   
story is not mine1 but taken straight   
out of that nationalist newspaper which 
had served me so long to wrap up my     
bread and bacon in my haversack4 ,this  
is the story1 and ,i will tell it you4  
,now1 ,i think of it1 it would be a     
great waste of time4 ,here am ,i no     
farther than perhaps a third of my      
journey1 and ,i have already admitted so
 much digression that my pilgrimage is  
like the story of a man asleep and      
dreaming1 instead of the plain1 honest1 

and straightforward narrative of fact4  
,i will therefore postpone the ,story of
 the ,hungry ,student till ,i get into  
the plains of ,italy1 or into the barren
 hills of that peninsula1 or among the  
over-well-known towns of ,tuscany1 or in
 some other place where a little padding
 will do neither you nor me any great   
harm4  ,on the other hand1 do not       
imagine that ,i am going to give you any
 kind of description of this intolerable
 day's march4 ,if you want some kind of 
visual ,concept 7pretty word71 take all 
these little chalets which were         
beginning and make what you can of them4
  ,,lector4 ,where are they8  ,,auctor4 
,they are still in ,switzerland2 not    
here4 ,they were overnumerous as ,i     
maundered up from where at last the road
 leaves the valley and makes over a     
little pass for a place called          
,schangnau4 ,but though it is not a     
story1 on the contrary1 an exact        
incident and the truth--a thing that ,i 
would swear to in the court of justice1 

or quite willingly and cheerfully       
believe if another man told it to me2 or
 even take as historical if ,i found it 
in a modern ,english history of the     
,anglo-,saxon ,church--though1 ,i       
repeat1 it is a thing actually lived1   
yet ,i will tell it you4  ,it was at the
 very end of the road1 and when an      
enormous weariness had begun to add some
 kind of interest to this stuffless     
episode of the dull day1 that a peasant 
with a brutal face1 driving a cart very 
rapidly1 came up with me4 ,i said to him
 nothing1 but he said to me some words  
in ,german which ,i did not understand4 
,we were at that moment just opposite a 
little inn upon the right hand of the   
road1 and the peasant began making signs
 to me to hold his horse for him while  
he went in and drank4  ,how willing ,i  
was to do this you will not perhaps     
understand1 unless you have that        
delicate and subtle pleasure in the     
holding of horses' heads1 which is the  
boast and glory of some rare minds4 ,and

 ,i was the more willing to do it from  
the fact that ,i have the habit of this 
kind of thing1 acquired in the ,french  
manoeuvres1 and had once held a horse   
for no less a person than a ,general of 
,division1 who gave me a franc for it1  
and this franc ,i spent later with the  
men of my battery1 purchasing wine4 ,so 
to make a long story short1 as the      
publisher said when he published the    
popular edition of ,pamela1 ,i held the 
horse for the peasant2 always1 of       
course1 under the implicit understanding
 that he should allow me when he came   
out to have a drink1 which ,i1 of       
course1 expected him to bring in his own
 hands4  ,far from it4 ,i can understand
 the anger which some people feel       
against the ,swiss when they travel in  
that country1 though ,i will always hold
 that it is monstrous to come into a    
man's country of your own accord1 and   
especially into a country so free and so
 well governed as is ,switzerland1 and  
then to quarrel with the particular type

 of citizen that you find there4  ,let  
us not discuss politics4 ,the point is  
that the peasant sat in there drinking  
with his friends for a good             
three-quarters of an hour4 ,now and then
 a man would come out and look at the   
sky1 and cough and spit and turn round  
again and say something to the people   
within in ,german1 and go off2 but no   
one paid the least attention to me as ,i
 held this horse4  ,i was already in a  
very angry and irritable mood1 for the  
horse was restive and smelt his stable1 
and wished to break away from me4 ,and  
all angry and irritable as ,i was1 ,i   
turned around to see if this man were   
coming to relieve me2 but ,i saw him    
laughing and joking with the people     
inside2 and they were all looking my way
 out of their window as they laughed4 ,i
 may have been wrong1 but ,i thought    
they were laughing at me4 ,a man who    
knows the ,swiss intimately1 and who has
 written a book upon ',the ,drink       
,traffic3 ,the ,example of              

,switzerland'1 tells me they certainly  
were not laughing at me2 at any rate1 ,i
 thought they were1 and moved by a      
sudden anger ,i let go the reins1 gave  
the horse a great clout1 and set him off
 careering and galloping like a         
whirlwind down the road from which he   
had come1 with the bit in his teeth and 
all the storms of heaven in his four    
feet4 ,instantly1 as you may imagine1   
all the scoffers came tumbling out of   
the inn1 hullabooling1 gesticulating1   
and running like madmen after the horse1
 and one old man even turned to protest 
to me4 ,but ,i1 setting my teeth1       
grasping my staff1 and remembering the  
purpose of my great journey1 set on up  
the road again with my face towards     
,rome4  ,i sincerely hope1 trust1 and   
pray that this part of my journey will  
not seem as dull to you as it did to me 
at the time1 or as it does to me now    
while ,i write of it4 ,but now ,i come  
to think of it1 it cannot seem as dull1 
for ,i had to walk that wretched thirty 

miles or so all the day long1 whereas   
you have not even to read it2 for ,i am 
not going to say anything more about it1
 but lead you straight to the end4  ,oh1
 blessed quality of books1 that makes   
them a refuge from living6 ,for in a    
book everything can be made to fit in1  
all tedium can be skipped over1 and the 
intense moments can be made timeless and
 eternal1 and as a poet who is too      
little known has well said in one of his
 unpublished lyrics1 we1 by the art of  
writing--    ,can fix the high elusive  
hour   ,and stand in things divine4     
,and as for high elusive hours1 devil a 
bit of one was there all the way from   
,burgdorf to the ,inn of the ,bridge1   
except the ecstatic flash of joy when ,i
 sent that horse careering down the road
 with his bad master after him and all  
his gang shouting among the hollow      
hills4  ,so4 ,it was already evening4 ,i
 was coming1 more tired than ever1 to a 
kind of little pass by which my road    
would bring me back again to the ,emmen1

 now nothing but a torrent4 ,all the    
slope down the other side of the little 
pass 7three or four hundred feet        
perhaps7 was covered by a village1      
called1 if ,i remember right1           
,schangnau1 and there was a large school
 on my right and a great number of      
children there dancing round in a ring  
and singing songs4  ,the sight so       
cheered me that ,i determined to press  
on up the valley1 though with no        
definite goal for the night4 ,it was a  
foolish decision1 for ,i was really in  
the heart of an unknown country1 at the 
end of roads1 at the sources of rivers1 
beyond help4 ,i knew that straight      
before me1 not five miles away1 was the 
,brienzer ,grat1 the huge high wall     
which it was my duty to cross right over
 from side to side4 ,i did not know     
whether or not there was an inn between 
me and that vast barrier4  ,the light   
was failing4 ,i had perhaps some vague  
idea of sleeping out1 but that would    
have killed me1 for a heavy mist that   

covered all the tops of the hills and   
that made a roof over the valley1 began 
to drop down a fine rain2 and1 as they  
sing in church on ,christmas ,eve1 'the 
heavens sent down their dews upon a just
 man'4 ,but that was written in         
,palestine1 where rain is a rare        
blessing2 there and then in the cold    
evening they would have done better to  
have warmed the righteous4 ,there is no 
controlling them2 they mean well1 but   
they bungle terribly4  ,the road stopped
 being a road1 and became like a        
,californian trail4 ,i approached       
enormous gates in the hills1 high1      
precipitous1 and narrow4 ,the mist      
rolled over them1 hiding their summits  
and making them seem infinitely lifted  
up and reaching endlessly into the thick
 sky2 the straight1 tenuous lines of the
 rain made them seem narrower still4    
,just as ,i neared them1 hobbling1 ,i   
met a man driving two cows1 and said to 
him the word1 ',guest-house8' to which  
he said ',yaw6' and pointed out a clump 

of trees to me just under the precipice 
and right in the gates ,i speak of4 ,so 
,i went there over an old bridge1 and   
found a wooden house and went in4  ,it  
was a house which one entered without   
ceremony4 ,the door was open1 and one   
walked straight into a great room4      
,there sat three men playing at cards4  
,i saluted them loudly in ,french1      
,english1 and ,latin1 but they did not  
understand me1 and what seemed          
remarkable in an hotel 7for it was an   
hotel rather than an inn71 no one in the
 house understood me--neither the       
servants nor any one2 but the servants  
did not laugh at me as had the poor     
people near ,burgdorf1 they only stood  
round me looking at me patiently in     
wonder as cows do at trains4 ,then they 
brought me food1 and as ,i did not know 
the names of the different kinds of     
food1 ,i had to eat what they chose2 and
 the angel of that valley protected me  
from boiled mutton4 ,i knew1 however1   
the word ,wein1 which is the same in all

 languages1 and so drank a quart of it  
consciously and of a set purpose4 ,then 
,i slept1 and next morning at dawn ,i   
rose up1 put on my thin1 wet linen      
clothes1 and went downstairs4 ,no one   
was about4 ,i looked around for         
something to fill my sack4 ,i picked up 
a great hunk of bread from the          
dining-room table1 and went out         
shivering into the cold drizzle that was
 still falling from a shrouded sky4     
,before me1 a great forbidding wall1    
growing blacker as it went upwards and  
ending in a level line of mist1 stood   
the ,brienzer ,grat4  ,to understand    
what ,i next had to do it is necessary  
to look back at the little map on page  
#aje4  ,you will observe that the       
straight way to ,rome cuts the ,lake of 
,brienz rather to the eastward of the   
middle1 and then goes slap over         
,wetterhorn and strikes the ,rhone      
,valley at a place called ,ulrichen4    
,that is how a bird would do it1 if some
 ,high ,pope of ,birds lived in ,rome   

and needed visiting1 as1 for instance1  
the ,great ,auk2 or if some old primal  
relic sacred to birds was connected     
therewith1 as1 for instance1 the bones  
of the ,dodo4444  ,but ,i digress4 ,the 
point is that the straight line takes   
one over the ,brienzer ,grat1 over the  
lake1 and then over the ,wetterhorn4    
,that was manifestly impossible4 ,but   
whatever of it was possible had to be   
done1 and among the possible things was 
clambering over the high ridge of the   
,brienzer ,grat instead of going round  
like a coward by ,interlaken4 ,after ,i 
had clambered over it1 however1 needs   
must ,i should have to take a pass      
called the ,grimsel ,pass and reach the 
,rhone ,valley that way4 ,it was with   
such a determination that ,i had come   
here to the upper waters of the ,emmen1 
and stood now on a moist morning in the 
basin where that stream rises1 at the   
foot of the mountain range that divided 
me from the lake4  ,the ,brienzer ,grat 
is an extraordinary thing4 ,it is quite 

straight2 its summits are1 of course1 of
 different heights1 but from below they 
seem even1 like a ridge3 and1 indeed1   
the whole mountain is more like a ridge 
than any other ,i have seen4 ,at one end
 is a peak called the ',red ,horn'1 the 
other end falls suddenly above          
,interlaken1 and wherever you should cut
 it you would get a section like this1  
for it is as steep as anything can be   
short of sheer rock4 ,there are no      
precipices on it1 though there are nasty
 slabs quite high enough to kill a      
man--,i saw several of three or four    
hundred feet4 ,it is about five or six  
thousand feet high1 and it stands right 
up and along the northern shore of the  
lake of ,brienz4 ,i began the ascent4   
,spongy meads1 that soughed under the   
feet and grew steeper as one rose1 took 
up the first few hundred feet4 ,little  
rivulets of mere dampness ran in among  
the under moss1 and such very small     
hidden flowers as there were drooped    
with the surfeit of moisture4 ,the rain 

was now indistinguishable from a mist1  
and indeed ,i had come so near to the   
level belt of cloud1 that already its   
gloom was exchanged for that diffused   
light which fills vapours from within   
and lends them their mystery4 ,a belt of
 thick brushwood and low trees lay      
before me1 clinging to the slope1 and as
 ,i pushed with great difficulty and    
many turns to right and left through its
 tangle a wisp of cloud enveloped me1   
and from that time on ,i was now in1 now
 out1 of a deceptive drifting fog1 in   
which it was most difficult to gauge    
one's progress4  ,now and then a higher 
mass of rock1 a peak on the ridge1 would
 show clear through a corridor of cloud 
and be hidden again2 also at times ,i   
would stand hesitating before a sharp   
wall or slab1 and wait for a shifting of
 the fog to make sure of the best way   
round4 ,i struck what might have been a 
loose path or perhaps only a gully2 lost
 it again and found it again4 ,in one   
place ,i climbed up a jagged surface for

 fifty feet1 only to find when it       
cleared that it was no part of the      
general ascent1 but a mere obstacle     
which might have been outflanked4 ,at   
another time ,i stopped for a good      
quarter of an hour at an edge that might
 have been an indefinite fall of smooth 
rock1 but that turned out to be a short 
drop1 easy for a man1 and not much      
longer than my body4 ,so ,i went upwards
 always1 drenched and doubting1 and not 
sure of the height ,i had reached at any
 time4  ,at last ,i came to a place     
where a smooth stone lay between two    
pillared monoliths1 as though it had    
been put there for a bench4 ,though all 
around me was dense mist1 yet ,i could  
see above me the vague shape of a summit
 looming quite near4 ,so ,i said to     
myself--  ',i will sit here and wait    
till it grows lighter and clearer1 for  
,i must now be within two or three      
hundred feet of the top of the ridge1   
and as anything at all may be on the    
other side1 ,i had best go carefully and

 knowing my way4'  ,so ,i sat down      
facing the way ,i had to go and looking 
upwards1 till perhaps a movement of the 
air might show me against a clear sky   
the line of the ridge1 and so let me    
estimate the work that remained to do4  
,i kept my eyes fixed on the point where
 ,i judged that sky line to lie1 lest ,i
 should miss some sudden gleam revealing
 it2 and as ,i sat there ,i grew        
mournful and began to consider the folly
 of climbing this great height on an    
empty stomach4 ,the soldiers of the     
,republic fought their battles often    
before breakfast1 but never1 ,i think1  
without having drunk warm coffee1 and no
 one should attempt great efforts       
without some such refreshment before    
starting4  ,indeed1 my fasting1 and the 
rare thin air of the height1 the chill  
and the dampness that had soaked my thin
 clothes through and through1 quite     
lowered my blood and left it piano1     
whimpering and irresolute4 ,i shivered  
and demanded the sun4  ,then ,i         

bethought me of the hunk of bread ,i had
 stolen1 and pulling it out of my       
haversack ,i began to munch that        
ungrateful breakfast4 ,it was hard and  
stale1 and gave me little sustenance2 ,i
 still gazed upwards into the uniform   
meaningless light fog1 looking for the  
ridge4  ,suddenly1 with no warning to   
prepare the mind1 a faint but distinct  
wind blew upon me1 the mist rose in a   
wreath backward and upward1 and ,i was  
looking through clear immensity1 not at 
any ridge1 but over an awful gulf at    
great white fields of death4 ,the ,alps 
were right upon me and before me1       
overwhelming and commanding empty       
downward distances of air4 ,between them
 and me was a narrow dreadful space of  
nothingness and silence1 and a sheer    
mile below us both1 a floor to that     
prodigious hollow1 lay the little lake4 
,my stone had not been a halting-place  
at all1 but was itself the summit of the
 ridge1 and those two rocks on either   
side of it framed a notch upon the very 

edge and skyline of the high hills of   
,brienz4  ,surprise and wonder had not  
time to form in my spirit before both   
were swallowed up by fear4 ,the         
proximity of that immense wall of cold1 
the ,alps1 seen thus full from the level
 of its middle height and comprehended  
as it cannot be from the depths2 its    
suggestion of something never changing  
throughout eternity--yet dead--was a    
threat to the eager mind4 ,they1 the    
vast ,alps1 all wrapped round in ice1   
frozen1 and their immobility enhanced by
 the delicate1 roaming veils which 7as  
from an attraction7 hovered in their    
hollows1 seemed to halt the process of  
living4 ,and the living soul whom they  
thus perturbed was supported by no      
companionship4 ,there were no trees or  
blades of grass around me1 only the     
uneven and primal stones of that height4
 ,there were no birds in the gulf2 there
 was no sound4 ,and the whiteness of the
 glaciers1 the blackness of the         
snow-streaked rocks beyond1 was         

glistening and unsoftened4 ,there had   
come something evil into their          
sublimity4 ,i was afraid4  ,nor could ,i
 bear to look downwards4 ,the slope was 
in no way a danger4 ,a man could walk up
 it without often using his hands1 and a
 man could go down it slowly without any
 direct fall1 though here and there he  
would have to turn round at each dip or 
step and hold with his hands and feel a 
little for his foothold4 ,i suppose the 
general slope1 down1 down1 to where the 
green began was not sixty degrees1 but  
have you ever tried looking down five   
thousand feet at sixty degrees8 ,it     
drags the mind after it1 and ,i could   
not bear to begin the descent4  ,however
 ,i reasoned with myself4 ,i said to    
myself that a man should only be afraid 
of real dangers4 ,that nightmare was not
 for the daylight4 ,that there was now  
no mist but a warm sun4 ,then choosing a
 gully where water sometimes ran1 but   
now dry1 ,i warily began to descend1    
using my staff and leaning well         

backwards4  ,there was this disturbing  
thing about the gully1 that it went in  
steps1 and before each step one saw the 
sky just a yard or two ahead3 one lost  
the comforting sight of earth4 ,one knew
 of course that it would only be a      
little drop1 and that the slope would   
begin again1 but it disturbed one4  ,and
 it is a trial to drop or clamber down1 
say fourteen or fifteen feet1 sometimes 
twenty1 and then to find no flat        
foothold but that eternal steep         
beginning again4 ,and this outline in   
which ,i have somewhat1 but not much1   
exaggerated the slope1 will show what ,i
 mean4 ,the dotted line is the line of  
vision just as one got to a 'step'4 ,the
 little figure is ,,auctor4 ,,lector is 
up in the air looking at him4 ,observe  
the perspective of the lake below1 but  
make no comments4  ,i went very slowly4 
,when ,i was about half-way down and had
 come to a place where a shoulder of    
heaped rock stood on my left and where  
little parallel ledges led up to it1    

having grown accustomed to the descent  
and easier in my mind1 ,i sat down on a 
slab and drew imperfectly the things ,i 
saw3 the lake below me1 the first       
forests clinging to the foot of the     
,alps beyond1 their higher slopes of    
snow1 and the clouds that had now begun 
to gather round them and that altogether
 hid the last third of their enormous   
height4  ,then ,i saw a steamer on the  
lake4 ,i felt in touch with men4 ,the   
slope grew easier4 ,i snapped my fingers
 at the great devils that haunt high    
mountains4  ,i sniffed the gross and    
comfortable air of the lower valleys1 ,i
 entered the belt of wood and was soon  
going quite a pace through the trees1   
for ,i had found a path1 and was now    
able to sing4 ,so ,i did4  ,at last ,i  
saw through the trunks1 but a few       
hundred feet below me1 the highroad that
 skirts the lake4 ,i left the path and  
scrambled straight down to it4 ,i came  
to a wall which ,i climbed1 and found   
myself in somebody's garden4 ,crossing  

this and admiring its wealth and order  
7,i was careful not to walk on the      
lawns71 ,i opened a little private gate 
and came on to the road1 and from there 
to ,brienz was but a short way along a  
fine hard surface in a hot morning sun1 
with the gentle lake on my right hand   
not five yards away1 and with delightful
 trees upon my left1 caressing and      
sometimes even covering me with their   
shade4  ,i was therefore dry1 ready and 
contented when ,i entered by mid morning
 the curious town of ,brienz1 which is  
all one long street1 and of which the   
population is ,protestant4 ,i say dry1  
ready and contented2 dry in my clothes1 
ready for food1 contented with men and  
nature4 ,but as ,i entered ,i squinted  
up that interminable slope1 ,i saw the  
fog wreathing again along the ridge so  
infinitely above me1 and ,i considered  
myself a fool to have crossed the       
,brienzer ,grat without breakfast4 ,but 
,i could get no one in ,brienz to agree 
with me1 because no one thought ,i had  

done it1 though several people there    
could talk ,french4  ,the ,grimsel ,pass
 is the valley of the ,aar2 it is also  
the eastern flank of that great massif1 
or bulk and mass of mountains called the
 ,bernese ,oberland4 ,western           
,switzerland1 you must know1 is not 7as 
,i first thought it was when ,i gazed   
down from the ,weissenstein7 a plain    
surrounded by a ring of mountains1 but  
rather it is a plain in its northern    
half 7the plain of the lower ,aar71 and 
in its southern half it is two enormous 
parallel lumps of mountains4 ,i call    
them 'lumps'1 because they are so very  
broad and tortuous in their plan that   
they are hardly ranges4 ,now these two  
lumps are the ,bernese ,oberland and the
 ,pennine ,alps1 and between them runs a
 deep trench called the valley of the   
,rhone4 ,take ,mont ,blanc in the west  
and a peak called the ,crystal ,peak    
over the ,val ,bavona on the east1 and  
they are the flanking bastions of one   
great wall1 the ,pennine ,alps4 ,take   

the ,diablerets on the west1 and the    
,wetterhorn on the east1 and they are   
the flanking bastions of another great  
wall1 the ,bernese ,oberland4 ,and these
 two walls are parallel1 with the ,rhone
 in between4  ,now these two walls      
converge at a point where there is a    
sort of knot of mountain ridges1 and    
this point may be taken as being on the 
boundary between ,eastern and ,western  
,switzerland4 ,at this wonderful point  
the ,ticino1 the ,rhone1 the ,aar1 and  
the ,reuss all begin1 and it is here    
that the simple arrangement of the ,alps
 to the west turns into the confused    
jumble of the ,alps to the east4  ,when 
you are high up on either wall you can  
catch the plan of all this1 but to avoid
 a confused description and to help you 
to follow the marvellous1 ,hannibalian  
and never-before-attempted charge and   
march which ,i made1 and which1 alas6   
ended only in a glorious defeat--to help
 you to picture faintly to yourselves   
the mirific and horripilant adventure   

whereby ,i nearly achieved superhuman   
success in spite of all the powers of   
the air1 ,i append a little map which is
 rough but clear and plain1 and which ,i
 beg you to study closely1 for it will  
make it easy for you to understand what 
next happened in my pilgrimage4  ,the   
dark strips are the deep cloven valleys1
 the shaded belt is that higher land    
which is yet passable by any ordinary   
man4 ,the part left white you may take  
to be the very high fields of ice and   
snow with great peaks which an ordinary 
man must regard as impassable1 unless1  
indeed1 he can wait for his weather and 
take guides and go on as a tourist      
instead of a pilgrim4  ,you will observe
 that ,i have marked five clefts or     
valleys4 ,a is that of the ,aar1 and the
 little white patch at the beginning is 
the lake of ,brienz4 ,b is that of the  
,reuss4 ,c is that of the ,rhone2 and   
all these three are north of the great  
watershed or main chain1 and all three  
are full of ,german-speaking people4    

,on the other hand1 ,d is the valley of 
the ,toccia1 ,e of the ,maggia1 and ,f  
of the ,ticino4 ,all these three are    
south of the great watershed1 and are   
inhabited by ,italian-speaking people4  
,all these three lead down at last to   
,lake ,major1 and so to ,milan and so to
 ,rome4  ,the straight line to ,rome is 
marked on my map by a dotted line ending
 in an arrow1 and you will see that it  
was just my luck that it should cross   
slap over that knot or tangle of ranges 
where all the rivers spring4 ,the       
problem was how to negotiate a passage  
from the valley of the ,aar to one of   
the three ,italian valleys1 without     
departing too far from my straight line4
 ,to explain my track ,i must give the  
names of all the high passes between the
 valleys4 ,that between ,a and ,c is    
called the ,grimsel2 that between ,b and
 ,c the ,furka4 ,that between ,d and ,c 
is the ,gries ,pass1 that between ,f and
 ,c the ,nufenen1 and that between ,e   
and ,f is not the easy thing it looks on

 the map2 indeed it is hardly a pass at 
all but a scramble over very high peaks1
 and it is called the ,crystalline      
,mountain4 ,finally1 on the far right of
 my map1 you see a high passage between 
,b and ,f4 ,this is the famous ,st      
,gothard4  ,the straightest way of all  
was 7#a7 over the ,grimsel1 then1 the   
moment ,i got into the valley of the    
,rhone 7#b71 up out of it again over the
 ,nufenen1 then the moment ,i was down  
into the valley of the ,ticino 7,f71 up 
out of it again 7#c7 over the           
,crystalline to the valley of the       
,maggia 7,e74 ,once in the ,maggia      
valley 7the top of it is called the ,val
 ,bavona71 it is a straight path for the
 lakes and ,rome4 ,there were also these
 advantages3 that ,i should be in a     
place very rarely visited--all the      
guide-books are doubtful on it2 that ,i 
should be going quite straight2 that ,i 
should be accomplishing a feat1 viz4 the
 crossing of those high passes one after
 the other 7and you must remember that  

over the ,nufenen there is no road at   
all74  ,but every one ,i asked told me  
that thus early in the year 7it was not 
the middle of ,june7 ,i could not hope  
to scramble over the ,crystalline4 ,no  
one 7they said7 could do it and live4   
,it was all ice and snow and cold mist  
and verglas1 and the precipices were    
smooth--a man would never get across2 so
 it was not worth while crossing the    
,nufenen ,pass if ,i was to be balked at
 the ,crystal1 and ,i determined on the 
,gries ,pass4 ,i said to myself3 ',i    
will go on over the ,grimsel1 and once  
in the valley of the ,rhone1 ,i will    
walk a mile or two down to where the    
,gries ,pass opens1 and ,i will go over 
it into ,italy4' ,for the ,gries ,pass1 
though not quite in the straight line1  
had this advantage1 that once over it   
you are really in ,italy4 ,in the       
,ticino valley or in the ,val ,bavona1  
though the people are as ,italian as    
,catullus1 yet politically they count as
 part of ,switzerland2 and therefore if 

you enter ,italy thereby1 you are not   
suddenly introduced to that country1    
but1 as it were1 inoculated1 and led on 
by degrees1 which is a pity4 ,for good  
things should come suddenly1 like the   
demise of that wicked man1 ,mr 7deleted 
by the censor71 who had oppressed the   
poor for some forty years1 when he was  
shot dead from behind a hedge1 and died 
in about the time it takes to boil an   
egg1 and there was an end of him4       
,having made myself quite clear that ,i 
had a formed plan to go over the        
,grimsel by the new road1 then up over  
the ,gries1 where there is no road at   
all1 and so down into the vale of the   
,tosa1 and having calculated that on the
 morrow ,i should be in ,italy1 ,i      
started out from ,brienz after eating a 
great meal1 it being then about midday1 
and ,i having already1 as you know1     
crossed the ,brienzer ,grat since dawn4 
,the task of that afternoon was more    
than ,i could properly undertake1 nor   
did ,i fulfil it4 ,from ,brienz to the  

top of the ,grimsel is1 as the crow     
flies1 quite twenty miles1 and by the   
road a good twenty-seven4 ,it is true ,i
 had only come from over the high hills2
 perhaps six miles in a straight line4  
,but what a six miles6 and all without  
food4 ,not certain1 therefore1 how much 
of the pass ,i could really do that day1
 but aiming at crossing it1 like a fool1
 ,i went on up the first miles4  ,for an
 hour or more after ,brienz the road    
runs round the base of and then away    
from a fine great rock4 ,there is here  
an alluvial plain like a continuation of
 the lake1 and the ,aar runs through it1
 canalized and banked and straight1 and 
at last the road also becomes straight4 
,on either side rise gigantic cliffs    
enclosing the valley1 and 7on the day ,i
 passed there7 going up into the clouds1
 which1 though high1 yet made a roof for
 the valley4 ,from the great mountains  
on the left the noble rock jutted out   
alone and dominated the little plain2 on
 the right the buttresses of the main   

,alps all stood in a row1 and between   
them went whorls of vapour high1 high   
up--just above the places where snow    
still clung to the slopes4 ,these whorls
 made the utmost steeps more and more   
misty1 till at last they were lost in a 
kind of great darkness1 in which the    
last and highest banks of ice seemed to 
be swallowed up4 ,i often stopped to    
gaze straight above me1 and ,i marvelled
 at the silence4  ,it was the first part
 of the afternoon when ,i got to a place
 called ,meiringen1 and ,i thought that 
there ,i would eat and drink a little   
more4 ,so ,i steered into the main      
street1 but there ,i found such a       
yelling and roaring as ,i had never     
heard before1 and very damnable it was2 
as though men were determined to do     
common evil wherever ,god has given them
 a chance of living in awe and worship4 
,for they were all bawling and howling1 
with great placards and tickets1 and    
saying1 ',this way to the ,extraordinary
 ,waterfall2 that way to the ,strange   

,cave4 ,come with me and you shall see  
the never-to-be-forgotten ,falls of the 
,aar1' and so forth4 ,so that my        
illusion of being alone in the roots of 
the world dropped off me very quickly1  
and ,i wondered how people could be so  
helpless and foolish as to travel about 
in ,switzerland as tourists and meet    
with all this vulgarity and beastliness4
  ,if a man goes to drink good wine he  
does not say1 ',so that the wine be good
 ,i do not mind eating strong pepper and
 smelling hartshorn as ,i drink it1' and
 if a man goes to read a good verse1 for
 instance1 ,jean ,richepin1 he does not 
say1 ',go on playing on the trombone1 go
 on banging the cymbals2 so long as ,i  
am reading good verse ,i am content4'   
,yet men now go into the vast hills and 
sleep and live in their recesses1 and   
pretend to be indifferent to all the    
touts and shouters and hurry and hotels 
and high prices and abominations4 ,thank
 ,god1 it goes in grooves6 ,i say it    
again1 thank ,god1 the railways are     

trenches that drain our modern marsh1   
for you have but to avoid railways1 even
 by five miles1 and you can get more    
peace than would fill a nosebag4 ,all   
the world is my garden since they built 
railways1 and gave me leave to keep off 
them4  ,also ,i vowed a franc to the    
,black ,virgin of ,la ,delivrande 7next 
time ,i should be passing there7 because
 ,i was delivered from being a tourist1 
and because all this horrible noise was 
not being dinned at me 7who was a poor  
and dirty pilgrim1 and no kind of prey  
for these cabmen1 and busmen1 and guides
 and couriers71 but at a crowd of drawn1
 sad1 jaded tourists that had come in by
 a train4  ,soon ,i had left them       
behind4 ,the road climbed the first step
 upwards in the valley1 going round a   
rock on the other side of which the ,aar
 had cut itself a gorge and rushed in a 
fall and rapids4 ,then the road went on 
and on weary mile after weary mile1 and 
,i stuck to it1 and it rose slowly all  
the time1 and all the time the ,aar went

 dashing by1 roaring and filling the    
higher valley with echoes4  ,i got      
beyond the villages4 ,the light shining 
suffused through the upper mist began to
 be the light of evening4 ,rain1 very   
fine and slight1 began to fall4 ,it was 
cold4 ,there met and passed me1 going   
down the road1 a carriage with a hood   
up1 driving at full speed4 ,it could not
 be from over the pass1 for ,i knew that
 it was not yet open for carriages or   
carts4 ,it was therefore from a hotel   
somewhere1 and if there was a hotel ,i  
should find it4 ,i looked back to ask   
the distance1 but they were beyond      
earshot1 and so ,i went on4  ,my boots  
in which ,i had sworn to walk to ,rome  
were ruinous4 ,already since the        
,weissenstein they had gaped1 and now   
the ,brienzer ,grat had made the sole of
 one of them quite free at the toe4 ,it 
flapped as ,i walked4 ,very soon ,i     
should be walking on my uppers4 ,i      
limped also1 and ,i hated the wet cold  
rain4 ,but ,i had to go on4 ,instead of 

flourishing my staff and singing1 ,i    
leant on it painfully and thought of    
duty1 and death1 and dereliction1 and   
every other horrible thing that begins  
with a ,d4 ,i had to go on4 ,if ,i had  
gone back there was nothing for miles4  
,before it was dark--indeed one could   
still read--,i saw a group of houses    
beyond the ,aar1 and soon after ,i saw  
that my road would pass them1 going over
 a bridge4 ,when ,i reached them ,i went
 into the first1 saying to myself1 ',i  
will eat1 and if ,i can go no farther ,i
 will sleep here4'  ,there were in the  
house two women1 one old1 the other     
young2 and they were ,french-speaking1  
from the ,vaud country4 ,they had faces 
like ,scotch people1 and were very      
kindly1 but odd1 being ,calvinist4 ,i   
said1 ',have you any beans8' ,they said1
 ',yes4' ,i suggested they should make  
me a dish of beans and bacon1 and give  
me a bottle of wine1 while ,i dried     
myself at their great stove4 ,all this  
they readily did for me1 and ,i ate     

heartily and drank heavily1 and they    
begged me afterwards to stop the night  
and pay them for it2 but ,i was so set  
up by my food and wine that ,i excused  
myself and went out again and took the  
road4 ,it was not yet dark4  ,by some   
reflection from the fields of snow1     
which were now quite near at hand       
through the mist1 the daylight lingered 
astonishingly late4 ,the cold grew      
bitter as ,i went on through the        
gloaming4 ,there were no trees save rare
 and stunted pines4 ,the ,aar was a     
shallow brawling torrent1 thick with    
melting ice and snow and mud4 ,coarse   
grass grew on the rocks sparsely2 there 
were no flowers4 ,the mist overhead was 
now quite near1 and ,i still went on and
 steadily up through the half-light4 ,it
 was as lonely as a calm at sea1 except 
for the noise of the river4 ,i had      
overworn myself1 and that sustaining    
surface which hides from us in our      
health the abysses below the mind--,i   
felt it growing weak and thin4 ,my      

fatigue bewildered me4 ,the occasional  
steeps beside the road1 one especially  
beneath a high bridge where a tributary 
falls into the ,aar in a cascade1       
terrified me4 ,they were like the       
emptiness of dreams4 ,at last it being  
now dark1 and ,i having long since      
entered the upper mist1 or rather cloud 
7for ,i was now as high as the clouds71 
,i saw a light gleaming through the fog1
 just off the road1 through pine-trees4 
,it was time4 ,i could not have gone    
much farther4  ,to this ,i turned and   
found there one of those new hotels1 not
 very large1 but very expensive4 ,they  
knew me at once for what ,i was1 and    
welcomed me with joy4 ,they gave me hot 
rum and sugar1 a fine warm bed1 told me 
,i was the first that had yet stopped   
there that year1 and left me to sleep   
very deep and yet in pain1 as men sleep 
who are stunned4 ,but twice that night  
,i woke suddenly1 staring at darkness4  
,i had outworn the physical network upon
 which the soul depends1 and ,i was full

 of terrors4  ,next morning ,i had fine 
coffee and bread and butter and the     
rest1 like a rich man2 in a gilded      
dining-room all set out for the rich1   
and served by a fellow that bowed and   
scraped4 ,also they made me pay a great 
deal1 and kept their eyes off my boots1 
and were still courteous to me1 and ,i  
to them4  ,then ,i bought wine of       
them--the first wine not of the country 
that ,i had drunk on this march1 a      
,burgundy--and putting it in my         
haversack with a nice white roll1 left  
them to wait for the next man whom the  
hills might send them4  ,the clouds1 the
 mist1 were denser than ever in that    
early morning2 one could only see the   
immediate road4 ,the cold was very      
great2 my clothes were not quite dried1 
but my heart was high1 and ,i pushed    
along well enough1 though stiffly1 till 
,i came to what they call the ,hospice1 
which was once a monk-house1 ,i suppose1
 but is now an inn4 ,i had brandy there1
 and on going out ,i found that it stood

 at the foot of a sharp ridge which was 
the true ,grimsel ,pass1 the neck which 
joins the ,bernese ,oberland to the     
eastern group of high mountains4 ,this  
ridge or neck was steep like a pitched  
roof--very high ,i found it1 and all of 
black glassy rock1 with here and there  
snow in sharp1 even1 sloping sheets just
 holding to it4 ,i could see but little 
of it at a time on account of the mist4 
,hitherto for all these miles the ,aar  
had been my companion1 and the road1    
though rising always1 had risen evenly  
and not steeply4 ,now the ,aar was left 
behind in the icy glen where it rises1  
and the road went in an artificial and  
carefully built set of zig-zags up the  
face of the cliff4  ,there is a short   
cut1 but ,i could not find it in the    
mist4 ,it is the old mule-path4 ,here   
and there1 however1 it was possible to  
cut off long corners by scrambling over 
the steep black rock and smooth ice1 and
 all the while the cold1 soft mist      
wisped in and out around me4 ,after a   

thousand feet of this ,i came to the top
 of the ,grimsel1 but not before ,i had 
passed a place where an avalanche had   
destroyed the road and where planks were
 laid4 ,also before one got to the very 
summit1 no short cuts or climbing were  
possible4  ,the road ran deep in a      
cutting like a ,devonshire lane4 ,only  
here the high banks were solid snow4    
,some little way past the summit1 on the
 first zig-zag down1 ,i passed the ,lake
 of the ,dead in its mournful hollow4   
,the mist still enveloped all the       
ridge-side1 and moved like a press of   
spirits over the frozen water1 then--as 
suddenly as on the much lower ,brienzer 
,grat1 and 7as on the ,brienzer ,grat7  
to the southward and the sun1 the clouds
 lifted and wreathed up backward and    
were gone1 and where there had just been
 fulness was only an immensity of empty 
air and a sudden sight of clear hills   
beyond and of little strange distant    
things thousands and thousands of feet  
below4  ,,lector4 ,pray are we to have  

any more of that fine writing8          
,,auctor4 ,i saw there as in a cup      
things that ,i had thought 7when ,i     
first studied the map at home7 far too  
spacious and spread apart to go into the
 view4 ,yet here they were all quite    
contained and close together1 on so vast
 a scale was the whole place conceived4 
,it was the comb of mountains of which  
,i have written2 the meeting of all the 
valleys4  ,there1 from the height of a  
steep bank1 as it were 7but a bank many 
thousands of feet high71 one looked down
 into a whole district or little world4 
,on the map1 ,i say1 it had seemed so   
great that ,i had thought one would     
command but this or that portion of it2 
as it was1 one saw it all4  ,and this is
 a peculiar thing ,i have noticed in all
 mountains1 and have never been able to 
understand--- namely1 that if you draw a
 plan or section to scale1 your mountain
 does not seem a very important thing4  
,one should not1 in theory1 be able to  
dominate from its height1 nor to feel   

the world small below one1 nor to hold a
 whole countryside in one's hand--yet   
one does4 ,the mountains from their     
heights reveal to us two truths4 ,they  
suddenly make us feel our               
insignificance1 and at the same time    
they free the immortal ,mind1 and let it
 feel its greatness1 and they release it
 from the earth4 ,but ,i say again1 in  
theory1 when one considers the exact    
relation of their height to the         
distances one views from them1 they     
ought to claim no such effect1 and that 
they can produce that effect is related 
to another thing--the way in which they 
exaggerate their own steepness4  ,for   
instance1 those noble hills1 my downs in
 ,sussex1 when you are upon them        
overlooking the weald1 from             
,chanctonbury say1 feel like this--or   
even lower4  ,indeed1 it is impossible  
to give them truly1 so insignificant are
 they2 if the stretch of the ,weald were
 made nearly a yard long1 ,chanctonbury 
would not1 in proportion1 be more than a

 fifth of an inch high6 ,and yet1 from  
the top of ,chanctonbury1 how one seems 
to overlook it and possess it all6      
,well1 so it was here from the ,grimsel 
when ,i overlooked the springs of the   
,rhone4 ,in true proportion the valley  
,i gazed into and over must have been   
somewhat like this--  ,it felt for all  
the world as deep and utterly below me  
as this other--  ,moreover1 where there 
was no mist1 the air was so surprisingly
 clear that ,i could see everything     
clean and sharp wherever ,i turned my   
eyes4 ,the mountains forbade any very   
far horizons to the view1 and all that  
,i could see was as neat and vivid as   
those coloured photographs they sell    
with bright green grass and bright white
 snow1 and blue glaciers like precious  
stones4  ,i scrambled down the mountain1
 for here1 on the south side of the     
pass1 there was no snow or ice1 and it  
was quite easy to leave the road and    
take the old path cutting off the       
zig-zags4 ,as the air got heavier1 ,i   

became hungry1 and at the very end of my
 descent1 two hundred feet or so above  
the young ,rhone1 ,i saw a great hotel4 
,i went round to their front door and   
asked them whether ,i could eat1 and at 
what price4 ',four francs1' they said4  
',what6' said ,i1 'four francs for a    
meal6 ,come1 let me eat in the kitchen1 
and charge me one4' ,but they became    
rude and obstinate1 being used only to  
deal with rich people1 so ,i cursed     
them1 and went down the road4 ,but ,i   
was very hungry4  ,the road falls quite 
steeply1 and the ,rhone1 which it       
accompanies in that valley1 leaps in    
little falls4 ,on a bridge ,i passed a  
sad ,englishman reading a book1 and a   
little lower down1 two ,american women  
in a carriage1 and after that a priest  
7it was lucky ,i did not see him first4 
,anyhow1 ,i touched iron at once1 to    
wit1 a key in my pocket71 and after that
 a child minding a goat4 ,altogether ,i 
felt myself in the world again1 and as  
,i was on a good road1 all down hill1 ,i

 thought myself capable of pushing on to
 the next village4 ,but my hunger was   
really excessive1 my right boot almost  
gone1 and my left boot nothing to       
exhibit or boast of1 when ,i came to a  
point where at last one looked down the 
,rhone valley for miles4 ,it is like a  
straight trench1 and at intervals there 
are little villages1 built of most      
filthy chalets1 the said chalets raised 
on great stones4 ,there are pine-trees  
up1 up on either slope1 into the clouds1
 and beyond the clouds ,i could not see4
 ,i left on my left a village called    
',between the ,waters'4 ,i passed       
through another called ',ehringen'1 but 
it has no inn4 ,at last1 two miles      
farther1 faint from lack of food1 ,i got
 into ,ulrichen1 a village a little     
larger than the rest1 and the place     
where ,i believed one should start to go
 either over the ,gries or ,nufenen     
,pass4 ,in ,ulrichen was a warm1 wooden1
 deep-eaved1 frousty1 comfortable1      
ramshackle1 dark1 anyhow kind of a      

little inn called ',the ,bear'4 ,and    
entering1 ,i saw one of the women whom  
god loves4  ,she was of middle age1 very
 honest and simple in the face1 kindly  
and good4  ,she was messing about with  
cooking and stuff1 and she came up to me
 stooping a little1 her eyes wide and   
innocent1 and a great spoon in her hand4
 ,her face was extremely broad and flat1
 and ,i have never seen eyes set so far 
apart4 ,her whole gait1 manner1 and     
accent proved her to be extremely good1 
and on the straight road to heaven4 ,i  
saluted her in the ,french tongue4 ,she 
answered me in the same1 but very broken
 and rustic1 for her natural speech was 
a kind of mountain ,german4 ,she spoke  
very slowly1 and had a nice soft voice1 
and she did what only good people do1 ,i
 mean1 looked you in the eyes as she    
spoke to you4  ,beware of shifty-eyed   
people4 ,it is not only nervousness1 it 
is also a kind of wickedness4 ,such     
people come to no good4 ,i have three of
 them now in my mind as ,i write4 ,one  

is a ,professor4  ,and1 by the way1     
would you like to know why universities 
suffer from this curse of nervous       
disease8 ,why the great personages      
stammer or have ,st ,vitus' dance1 or   
jabber at the lips1 or hop in their     
walk1 or have their heads screwed round1
 or tremble in the fingers1 or go       
through life with great goggles like a  
motor car8 ,eh8 ,i will tell you4 ,it is
 the punishment of their intellectual   
pride1 than which no sin is more        
offensive to the angels4  ,what6 here   
are we with the jolly world of ,god all 
round us1 able to sing1 to draw1 to     
paint1 to hammer and build1 to sail1 to 
ride horses1 to run1 to leap2 having for
 our splendid inheritance love in youth 
and memory in old age1 and we are to    
take one miserable little faculty1 our  
one-legged1 knock-kneed1 gimcrack1      
purblind1 rough-skinned1 underfed1 and  
perpetually irritated and grumpy        
intellect1 or analytical curiosity      
rather 7a diseased appetite71 and let it

 swell till it eats up every other      
function8 ,away with such foolery4      
,,lector4 ,when shall we get on to444   
,,auctor4 ,wait a moment4 ,i say1 away  
with such foolery4 ,note that pedants   
lose all proportion4 ,they never can    
keep sane in a discussion4 ,they will go
 wild on matters they are wholly unable 
to judge1 such as ,armenian ,religion or
 the ,politics of ,paris or what not4   
,never do they use one of those three   
phrases which keep a man steady and     
balance his mind1 ,i mean the words 7#a7
 ,after all it is not my business4 7#b7 
,tut6 tut6 ,you don't say so6 and 7#c7  
,credo in ,unum ,deum ,patrem           
,omnipotentem1 ,factorem omnium         
visibilium atque invisibilium2 in which 
last there is a power of synthesis that 
can jam all their analytical dust-heap  
into such a fine1 tight1 and compact    
body as would make them stare to see4 ,i
 understand that they need six months'  
holiday a year4 ,had ,i my way they     
should take twelve1 and an extra day on 

leap years4  ,,lector4 ,pray1 pray      
return to the woman at the inn4         
,,auctor4 ,i will1 and by this road3 to 
say that on the day of ,judgement1 when 
,st ,michael weighs souls in his scales1
 and the wicked are led off by the      
,devil with a great rope1 as you may see
 them over the main porch of ,notre     
,dame 7,i will heave a stone after them 
myself ,i hope71 all the souls of the   
pedants together will not weigh as heavy
 and sound as the one soul of this good 
woman at the inn4  ,she put food before 
me and wine4 ,the wine was good1 but in 
the food was some fearful herb or other 
,i had never tasted before--a pure spice
 or scent1 and a nasty one4 ,one could  
taste nothing else1 and it was          
revolting2 but ,i ate it for her sake4  
,then1 very much refreshed1 ,i rose1    
seized my great staff1 shook myself and 
said1 ',now it is about noon1 and ,i am 
off for the frontier4'  ,at this she    
made a most fearful clamour1 saying that
 it was madness1 and imploring me not to

 think of it1 and running out fetched   
from the stable a tall1 sad1 pale-eyed  
man who saluted me profoundly and told  
me that he knew more of the mountains   
than any one for miles4 ,and this by    
asking many afterwards ,i found out to  
be true4 ,he said that he had crossed   
the ,nufenen and the ,gries whenever    
they could be crossed since he was a    
child1 and that if ,i attempted it that 
day ,i should sleep that night in       
,paradise4 ,the clouds on the mountain1 
the soft snow recently fallen1 the rain 
that now occupied the valleys1 the      
glacier on the ,gries1 and the pathless 
snow in the mist on the ,nufenen would  
make it sheer suicide for him1 an       
experienced guide1 and for me a worse   
madness4 ,also he spoke of my boots and 
wondered at my poor coat and trousers1  
and threatened me with intolerable cold4
  ,it seems that the books ,i had read  
at home1 when they said that the        
,nufenen had no snow on it1 spoke of a  
later season of the year2 it was all    

snow now1 and soft snow1 and hidden by a
 full mist in such a day from the first 
third of the ascent4 ,as for the ,gries1
 there was a glacier on the top which   
needed some kind of clearness in the    
weather4 ,hearing all this ,i said ,i   
would remain--but it was with a heavy   
heart4 ,already ,i felt a shadow of     
defeat over me4 ,the loss of time was a 
thorn4 ,i was already short of cash1 and
 my next money was ,milan4 ,my return to
 ,england was fixed for a certain date1 
and stronger than either of these       
motives against delay was a burning     
restlessness that always takes men when 
they are on the way to great adventures4
  ,i made him promise to wake me next   
morning at three o'clock1 and1 short of 
a tempest1 to try and get me across the 
,gries4 ,as for the ,nufenen and        
,crystalline passes which ,i had desired
 to attempt1 and which were 7as ,i have 
said7 the straight line to ,rome1 he    
said 7and he was right71 that let alone 
the impassability of the ,nufenen just  

then1 to climb the ,crystal ,mountain in
 that season would be as easy as flying 
to the moon4 ,now1 to cross the ,nufenen
 alone1 would simply land me in the     
upper valley of the ,ticino1 and take me
 a great bend out of my way by          
,bellinzona4 ,hence my bargain that at  
least he should show me over the ,gries 
,pass1 and this he said1 if man could do
 it1 he would do the next day2 and ,i1  
sending my boots to be cobbled 7and     
thereby breaking another vow71 crept up 
to bed1 and all afternoon read the      
school-books of the children4 ,they were
 in ,french1 from lower down the valley1
 and very ,genevese and heretical for so
 devout a household4 ,but the ,genevese 
civilization is the standard for these  
people1 and they combat the ,calvinism  
of it with missions1 and have statues in
 their rooms1 not to speak of holy water
 stoups4  ,the rain beat on my window1  
the clouds came lower still down the    
mountain4  ,then 7as is finely written  
in the ,song of ,roland71 'the day      

passed and the night came1 and ,i       
slept4' ,but with the coming of the     
small hours1 and with my waking1 prepare
 yourselves for the most extraordinary  
and terrible adventure that befell me   
out of all the marvels and perils of    
this pilgrimage1 the most momentous and 
the most worthy of perpetual record1 ,i 
think1 of all that has ever happened    
since the beginning of the world4  ,at  
three o'clock the guide knocked at my   
door1 and ,i rose and came out to him4  
,we drank coffee and ate bread4 ,we put 
into our sacks ham and bread1 and he    
white wine and ,i brandy4 ,then we set  
out4 ,the rain had dropped to a drizzle1
 and there was no wind4 ,the sky was    
obscured for the most part1 but here and
 there was a star4 ,the hills hung      
awfully above us in the night as we     
crossed the spongy valley4 ,a little    
wooden bridge took us over the young    
,rhone1 here only a stream1 and we      
followed a path up into the tributary   
ravine which leads to the ,nufenen and  

the ,gries4 ,in a mile or two it was a  
little lighter1 and this was as well1   
for some weeks before a great avalanche 
had fallen1 and we had to cross it      
gingerly4 ,beneath the wide cap of      
frozen snow ran a torrent roaring4 ,i   
remembered ,colorado1 and how ,i had    
crossed the ,arkansaw on such a bridge  
as a boy4 ,we went on in the uneasy     
dawn4 ,the woods began to show1 and     
there was a cross where a man had       
slipped from above that very ,april and 
been killed4 ,then1 most ominous and    
disturbing1 the drizzle changed to a    
rain1 and the guide shook his head and  
said it would be snowing higher up4 ,we 
went on1 and it grew lighter4 ,before it
 was really day 7or else the weather    
confused and darkened the sky71 we      
crossed a good bridge1 built long ago1  
and we halted at a shed where the cattle
 lie in the late summer when the snow is
 melted4 ,there we rested a moment4     
,but on leaving its shelter we noticed  
many disquieting things4 ,the place was 

a hollow1 the end of the ravine--a bowl1
 as it were2 one way out of which is the
 ,nufenen1 and the other the ,gries4    
,here it is in a sketch map4 ,the       
heights are marked lighter and lighter1 
from black in the valleys to white in   
the impassable mountains4 ,e is where we
 stood1 in a great cup or basin1 having 
just come up the ravine ,b4 ,c is the   
,italian valley of the ,tosa1 and the   
neck between it and ,e is the ,gries4   
,d is the valley of the ,ticino1 and the
 neck between ,e and it is the ,nufenen4
 ,a is the ,crystal ,mountain4 ,you may 
take the necks or passes to be about    
#hjjj1 and the mountains #aj1jjj or     
#aa1jjj feet above the sea4  ,we        
noticed1 ,i say1 many disquieting       
things4 ,first1 all1 that bowl or cup   
below the passes was a carpet of snow1  
save where patches of black water       
showed1 and all the passes and          
mountains1 from top to bottom1 were     
covered with very thick snow2 the deep  
surface of it soft and fresh fallen4    

,secondly1 the rain had turned into     
snow4 ,it was falling thickly all       
around4  ,nowhere have ,i more perceived
 the immediate presence of great ,death4
  ,thirdly1 it was far colder1 and we   
felt the beginning of a wind4 ,fourthly1
 the clouds had come quite low down4    
,the guide said it could not be done1   
but ,i said we must attempt it4 ,i was  
eager1 and had not yet felt the awful   
grip of the cold4 ,we left the ,nufenen 
on our left1 a hopeless steep of new    
snow buried in fog1 and we attacked the 
,gries4 ,for half-an-hour we plunged on 
through snow above our knees1 and my    
thin cotton clothes were soaked4 ,so far
 the guide knew we were more or less on 
the path1 and he went on and ,i panted  
after him4 ,neither of us spoke1 but    
occasionally he looked back to make sure
 ,i had not dropped out4  ,the snow     
began to fall more thickly1 and the wind
 had risen somewhat4 ,i was afraid of   
another protest from the guide1 but he  
stuck to it well1 and ,i after him1     

continually plunging through soft snow  
and making yard after yard upwards4 ,the
 snow fell more thickly and the wind    
still rose4  ,we came to a place which  
is1 in the warm season1 an alp2 that is1
 a slope of grass1 very steep but not   
terrifying2 having here and there sharp 
little precipices of rock breaking it   
into steps1 but by no means 7in summer7 
a matter to make one draw back4 ,now1   
however1 when everything was still      
,arctic it was a very different matter4 
,a sheer steep of snow whose downward   
plunge ran into the driving storm and   
was lost1 whose head was lost in the    
same mass of thick cloud above1 a slope 
somewhat hollowed and bent inwards1 had 
to be crossed if we were to go any      
farther2 and ,i was terrified1 for ,i   
knew nothing of climbing4 ,the guide    
said there was little danger1 only if   
one slipped one might slide down to     
safety1 or one might 7much less         
probably7 get over rocks and be killed4 
,i was chattering a little with cold2   

but as he did not propose a return1 ,i  
followed him4 ,the surface was          
alternately slabs of frozen snow and    
patches of soft new snow4 ,in the first 
he cut steps1 in the second we plunged1 
and once ,i went right in and a mass of 
snow broke off beneath me and went      
careering down the slope4 ,he showed me 
how to hold my staff backwards as he did
 his alpenstock1 and use it as a kind of
 brake in case ,i slipped4  ,we had been
 about twenty minutes crawling over that
 wall of snow and ice2 and it was more  
and more apparent that we were in for   
danger4 ,before we had quite reached the
 far side1 the wind was blowing a very  
full gale and roared past our ears4 ,the
 surface snow was whirring furiously    
like dust before it3 past our faces and 
against them drove the snow-flakes1     
cutting the air3 not falling1 but making
 straight darts and streaks4 ,they      
seemed like the form of the whistling   
wind2 they blinded us4 ,the rocks on the
 far side of the slope1 rocks which had 

been our goal when we set out to cross  
it1 had long ago disappeared in the     
increasing rush of the blizzard4        
,suddenly as we were still painfully    
moving on1 stooping against the mad     
wind1 these rocks loomed up over as     
large as houses1 and we saw them through
 the swarming snow-flakes as great hulls
 are seen through a fog at sea4 ,the    
guide crouched under the lee of the     
nearest2 ,i came up close to him and he 
put his hands to my ear and shouted to  
me that nothing further could be        
done--he had so to shout because in     
among the rocks the hurricane made a    
roaring sound1 swamping the voice4  ,i  
asked how far we were from the summit4  
,he said he did not know where we were  
exactly1 but that we could not be more  
than #hjj feet from it4 ,i was but that 
from ,italy and ,i would not admit      
defeat4 ,i offered him all ,i had in    
money to go on1 but it was folly in me1 
because if ,i had had enough to tempt   
him and if he had yielded we should both

 have died4 ,luckily it was but a little
 sum4 ,he shook his head4 ,he would not 
go on1 he broke out1 for all the money  
there was in the world4 ,he shouted me  
to eat and drink1 and so we both did4   
,then ,i understood his wisdom1 for in a
 little while the cold began to seize me
 in my thin clothes4 ,my hands were     
numb1 my face already gave me           
intolerable pain1 and my legs suffered  
and felt heavy4 ,i learnt another thing 
7which had ,i been used to mountains ,i 
should have known71 that it was not a   
simple thing to return4 ,the guide was  
hesitating whether to stay in this rough
 shelter1 or to face the chances of the 
descent4 ,this terror had not crossed my
 mind1 and ,i thought as little of it as
 ,i could1 needing my courage1 and being
 near to breaking down from the         
intensity of the cold4  ,it seems that  
in a tourmente 7for by that excellent   
name do the mountain people call such a 
storm7 it is always a matter of doubt   
whether to halt or go back4 ,if you go  

back through it and lose your way1 you  
are done for4 ,if you halt in some      
shelter1 it may go on for two or three  
days1 and then there is an end of you4  
,after a little he decided for a return1
 but he told me honestly what the       
chances were1 and my suffering from cold
 mercifully mitigated my fear4 ,but even
 in that moment1 ,i felt in a confused  
but very conscious way that ,i was      
defeated4 ,i had crossed so many great  
hills and rivers1 and pressed so well on
 my undeviating arrow-line to ,rome1 and
 ,i had charged this one great barrier  
manfully where the straight path of my  
pilgrimage crossed the ,alps--and ,i had
 failed6 ,even in that fearful cold ,i  
felt it1 and it ran through my doubt of 
return like another and deeper current  
of pain4 ,italy was there1 just above1  
right to my hand4 ,a lifting of a cloud1
 a little respite1 and every downward   
step would have been towards the        
sunlight4 ,as it was1 ,i was being      
driven back northward1 in retreat and   

ashamed4 ,the ,alps had conquered me4   
,let us always after this combat their  
immensity and their will1 and always    
hate the inhuman guards that hold the   
gates of ,italy1 and the powers that lie
 in wait for men on those high places4  
,but now ,i know that ,italy will always
 stand apart4 ,she is cut off by no     
ordinary wall1 and ,death has all his   
army on her frontiers4  ,well1 we       
returned4 ,twice the guide rubbed my    
hands with brandy1 and once ,i had to   
halt and recover for a moment1 failing  
and losing my hold4 ,believe it or not1 
the deep footsteps of our ascent were   
already quite lost and covered by the   
new snow since our halt1 and even had   
they been visible1 the guide would not  
have retraced them4 ,he did what ,i did 
not at first understand1 but what ,i    
soon saw to be wise4 ,he took a steep   
slant downward over the face of the     
snow-slope1 and though such a pitch of  
descent a little unnerved me1 it was    
well in the end4 ,for when we had gone  

down perhaps #ijj feet1 or a thousand1  
in perpendicular distance1 even ,i1 half
 numb and fainting1 could feel that the 
storm was less violent4 ,another two    
hundred1 and the flakes could be seen   
not driving in flashes past1 but        
separately falling4 ,then in some few   
minutes we could see the slope for a    
very long way downwards quite clearly2  
then1 soon after1 we saw far below us   
the place where the mountain-side merged
 easily into the plain of that cup or   
basin whence we had started4  ,when we  
saw this1 the guide said to me1 ',hold  
your stick thus1 if you are strong      
enough1 and let yourself slide4' ,i     
could just hold it1 in spite of the     
cold4 ,life was returning to me with    
intolerable pain4 ,we shot down the     
slope almost as quickly as falling1 but 
it was evidently safe to do so1 as the  
end was clearly visible1 and had no     
break or rock in it4  ,so we reached the
 plain below1 and entered the little    
shed1 and thence looking up1 we saw the 

storm above us2 but no one could have   
told it for what it was4 ,here1 below1  
was silence1 and the terror and raging  
above seemed only a great trembling     
cloud occupying the mountain4 ,then we  
set our faces down the ravine by which  
we had come up1 and so came down to     
where the snow changed to rain4 ,when we
 got right down into the valley of the  
,rhone1 we found it all roofed with     
cloud1 and the higher trees were white  
with snow1 making a line like a tide    
mark on the slopes of the hills4  ,i    
re-entered ',the ,bear'1 silent and     
angered1 and not accepting the          
humiliation of that failure4 ,then1     
having eaten1 ,i determined in equal    
silence to take the road like any other 
fool2 to cross the ,furka by a fine     
highroad1 like any tourist1 and to cross
 the ,st ,gothard by another fine       
highroad1 as millions had done before   
me1 and not to look heaven in the face  
again till ,i was back after my long    
detour1 on the straight road again for  

,rome4  ,but to think of it6 ,i who had 
all that planned out1 and had so nearly 
done it6 ,i who had cut a path across   
,europe like a shaft1 and seen so many  
strange places6--now to have to recite  
all the litany of the vulgar2           
,bellinzona1 ,lugano1 and this and that1
 which any railway travelling fellow can
 tell you4 ,not till ,como should ,i    
feel a man again444  ,indeed it is a    
bitter thing to have to give up one's   
sword4  ,i had not the money to wait2 my
 defeat had lowered me in purse as well 
as in heart4 ,i started off to enter by 
the ordinary gates--not ,italy even1 but
 a half-,italy1 the canton of the       
,ticino4 ,it was very hard4  ,this book 
is not a tragedy1 and ,i will not write 
at any length of such pain4 ,that same  
day1 in the latter half of it1 ,i went  
sullenly over the ,furka2 exactly as    
easy a thing as going up ,st ,james'    
,street and down ,piccadilly4 ,i found  
the same storm on its summit1 but on a  
highroad it was a different affair4 ,i  

took no short cuts4 ,i drank at all the 
inns--at the base1 half-way up1 near the
 top1 and at the top4 ,i told them1 as  
the snow beat past1 how ,i had attacked 
and all but conquered the ,gries that   
wild morning1 and they took me for a    
liar2 so ,i became silent even within my
 own mind4 ,i looked sullenly at the    
white ground all the way4 ,and when on  
the far side ,i had got low enough to be
 rid of the snow and wind and to be in  
the dripping rain again1 ,i welcomed the
 rain1 and let it soothe like a sodden  
friend my sodden uncongenial mind4  ,i  
will not write of ,hospenthal4 ,it has  
an old tower1 and the road to it is     
straight and hideous4 ,much ,i cared for
 the old tower6 ,the people of the inn  
7which ,i chose at random7 cannot have  
loved me much4  ,i will not write of the
 ,st ,gothard4 ,get it out of a         
guide-book4 ,i rose when ,i felt        
inclined2 ,i was delighted to find it   
still raining4 ,a dense mist above the  
rain gave me still greater pleasure4 ,i 

had started quite at my leisure late in 
the day1 and ,i did the thing stolidly1 
and my heart was like a dully-heated    
mass of coal or iron because ,i was     
acknowledging defeat4 ,you who have     
never taken a straight line and held it1
 nor seen strange men and remote places1
 you do not know what it is to have to  
go round by the common way4  ,only in   
the afternoon1 and on those little      
zig-zags which are sharper than any     
other in the ,alps 7perhaps the road is 
older71 something changed4  ,a warm air 
stirred the dense mist which had        
mercifully cut me off from anything but 
the mere road and from the contemplation
 of hackneyed sights4  ,a hint or memory
 of gracious things ran in the slight   
breeze1 the wreaths of fog would lift a 
little for a few yards1 and in their    
clearings ,i thought to approach a      
softer and more desirable world4 ,i was 
soothed as though with caresses and when
 ,i began to see somewhat farther and   
felt a vigour and fulness in the outline

 of the ,trees1 ,i said to myself       
suddenly--  ',i know what it is6 ,it is 
the ,south1 and a great part of my      
blood4 ,they may call it ,switzerland   
still1 but ,i know now that ,i am in    
,italy1 and this is the gate of ,italy  
lying in groves4'  ,then and on till    
evening ,i reconciled myself with       
misfortune1 and when ,i heard again at  
,airolo the speech of civilized men1 and
 saw the strong ,latin eyes and straight
 forms of the ,race after all those days
 of fog and frost and ,german speech and
 the north1 my eyes filled with tears   
and ,i was as glad as a man come home   
again1 and ,i could have kissed the     
ground4  ,the wine of ,airolo and its   
songs1 how greatly they refreshed me6   
,to see men with answering eyes and to  
find a salute returned2 the noise of    
careless mouths talking all together2   
the group at cards1 and the laughter    
that is proper to mankind2 the straight 
carriage of the women1 and in all the   
people something erect and noble as     

though indeed they possessed the earth4 
,i made a meal there1 talking to all my 
companions left and right in a new      
speech of my own1 which was made up1 as 
it were1 of the essence of all the      
,latin tongues1 saying--  ',ha6 ,si jo a
 traversa li montagna no erat facile6   
,nenni6 ,,ii san ,gottardo8  ,nil est6  
pooh6 poco6 ,ma hesterna jo ha voulu    
traversar in ,val ,bavona1 e credi non  
ritornar1 namfredo1 fredo erat in alto6 
,la tourmente ma prise444'  ,and so     
forth1 explaining all fully with        
gestures1 exaggerating1 emphasizing1 and
 acting the whole matter1 so that they  
understood me without much error4 ,but  
,i found it more difficult to understand
 them1 because they had a regular formed
 language with terminations and special 
words4  ,it went to my heart to offer   
them no wine1 but a thought was in me of
 which you shall soon hear more4 ,my    
money was running low1 and the chief    
anxiety of a civilized man was spreading
 over my mind like the shadow of a cloud

 over a field of corn in summer4 ,they  
gave me a number of 'good-nights'1 and  
at parting ,i could not forbear from    
boasting that ,i was a pilgrim on my way
 to ,rome4 ,this they repeated one to   
another1 and one man told me that the   
next good halting-place was a town      
called ,faido1 three hours down the     
road4  ,he held up three fingers to     
explain1 and that was the last          
intercourse ,i had with the ,airolans1  
for at once ,i took the road4  ,i       
glanced up the dark ravine which ,i     
should have descended had ,i crossed the
 ,nufenen4 ,i thought of the ,val       
,bavona1 only just over the great wall  
that held the west2 and in one place    
where a rift 7you have just seen its    
picture7 led up to the summits of the   
hills ,i was half tempted to go back to 
,airolo and sleep and next morning to   
attempt a crossing4 ,but ,i had accepted
 my fate on the ,gries and the falling  
road also held me1 and so ,i continued  
my way4  ,everything was pleasing in    

this new valley under the sunlight that 
still came strongly from behind the     
enormous mountains2 everything also was 
new1 and ,i was evidently now in a      
country of a special kind4 ,the slopes  
were populous1 ,i had come to the great 
mother of fruits and men1 and ,i was    
soon to see her cities and her old      
walls1 and the rivers that glide by     
them4 ,church towers also repeated the  
same shapes up and up the wooded hills  
until the villages stopped at the line  
of the higher slopes and at the patches 
of snow4 ,the houses were square and    
coloured2 they were graced with arbours1
 and there seemed to be all around      
nothing but what was reasonable and     
secure1 and especially no rich or poor4 
,i noticed all these things on the one  
side and the other till1 not two hours  
from ,airolo1 ,i came to a step in the  
valley4 ,for the valley of the ,ticino  
is made up of distinct levels1 each of  
which might have held a lake once for   
the way it is enclosed3 and each level  

ends in high rocks with a gorge between 
them4 ,down this gorge the river tumbles
 in falls and rapids and the road picks 
its way down steeply1 all banked and    
cut1 and sometimes has to cross from    
side to side by a bridge1 while the     
railway above one overcomes the sharp   
descent by running round into the heart 
of the hills through circular tunnels   
and coming out again far below the      
cavern where it plunged in4 ,then when  
all three--the river1 the road1 and the 
railway--- have got over the great step1
 a new level of the valley opens4 ,this 
is the way the road comes into the      
south1 and as ,i passed down to the     
lower valley1 though it was darkening   
into evening1 something melted out of   
the mountain air1 there was content and 
warmth in the growing things1 and ,i    
found it was a place for vineyards4 ,so1
 before it was yet dark1 ,i came into   
,faido1 and there ,i slept1 having at   
last1 after so many adventures1 crossed 
the threshold and occupied ,italy4      

,next day before sunrise ,i went out1   
and all the valley was adorned and      
tremulous with the films of morning4    
,now all of you who have hitherto       
followed the story of this great        
journey1 put out of your minds the ,alps
 and the passes and the snows--postpone 
even for a moment the influence of the  
happy dawn and of that ,south into which
 ,i had entered1 and consider only this 
truth1 that ,i found myself just out of 
,faido on this blessed date of ,god with
 eight francs and forty centimes for my 
viaticum and temporal provision         
wherewith to accomplish the good work of
 my pilgrimage4  ,now when you consider 
that coffee and bread was twopence and a
 penny for the maid1 you may say without
 lying that ,i had left behind me the   
escarpment of the ,alps and stood upon  
the downward slopes of the first        
,italian stream and at the summit of the
 entry road with eight francs ten       
centimes in my pocket--my body hearty   
and my spirit light1 for the arriving   

sun shot glory into the sky4 ,the air   
was keen1 and a fresh day came radiant  
over the high eastern walls of the      
valley4  ,and what of that8 ,why1 one   
might make many things of it4 ,for      
instance1 eight francs and ten centimes 
is a very good day's wages2 it is a lot 
to spend in cab fares but little for a  
coupe4 ,it is a heavy price for         
,burgundy but a song for ,tokay4 ,it is 
eighty miles third-class and more2 it is
 thirty or less first-class2 it is a    
flash in a train de luxe1 and a mere    
fleabite as a bribe to a journalist4 ,it
 would be enormous to give it to an     
apostle begging at a church door1 but   
nothing to spend on luncheon4  ,properly
 spent ,i can imagine it saving five or 
six souls1 but ,i cannot believe that so
 paltry a sum would damn half an one4   
,then1 again1 it would be a nice thing  
to sing about4 ,thus1 if one were a     
modern fool one might write a dirge with
 ',huit francs et dix centimes' all     
chanted on one low sad note1 and coming 

in between brackets for a 'motif1 and   
with a lot about autumn and             
,death--which last1 ,death that is1     
people nowadays seem to regard as       
something odd1 whereas it is well known 
to be the commonest thing in the world4 
,or one might make the words the        
,backbone of a triolet1 only one would  
have to split them up to fit it into the
 metre2 or one might make it the        
decisive line in a sonnet2 or one might 
make a pretty little lyric of it1 to the
 tune of ',madame la ,marquise'--       
',huit francs et dix centimes1 ,tra la  
la1 la la la4'  ,or one might put it    
rhetorically1 fiercely1 stoically1      
finely1 republicanly into the ,heroics  
of the ,great ,school4 ,thus--          
,,hernani 7with indignation7444 dans ces
 efforts sublimes',qu'avez vous a       
offrir8'  ,,ruy ,,blas 7simply7 ,huit   
francs et dix centimes6  ,or finally    
7for this kind of thing cannot go on for
 ever71 one might curl one's hair and   
dye it black1 and cock a dirty slouch   

hat over one ear and take a guitar and  
sit on a flat stone by the roadside and 
cross one's legs1 and1 after a few pings
 and pongs on the strings1 strike up a  
,ballad with the refrain--  ,car j'ai   
toujours huit francs et dix centimes6 a 
jocular1 sub-sardonic1 a triumphant     
refrain6  ,but all this is by the way2  
the point is1 why was the eight francs  
and ten centimes of such importance just
 there and then8  ,for this reason1 that
 ,i could get no more money before      
,milan2 and ,i think a little reflection
 will show you what a meaning lies in   
that phrase4 ,milan was nearer ninety   
miles than eighty miles off4 ,by the    
strict road it was over ninety4 ,and so 
,i was forced to consider and to be     
anxious1 for how would this money hold  
out8  ,there was nothing for it but     
forced marches1 and little prospect of  
luxuries4 ,but could it be done8  ,i    
thought it could1 and ,i reasoned this  
way4  ',it is true ,i need a good deal  
of food1 and that if a man is to cover  

great distances he must keep fit4 ,it is
 also true that many men have done more 
on less4 ,on the other hand1 they were  
men who were not pressed for time--,i   
am2 and ,i do not know the habits of the
 country4 ,ninety miles is three good   
days2 two very heavy days4 ,indeed1     
whether it can be done at all in two is 
doubtful4 ,but it can be done in two    
days1 two nights1 and half the third    
day4 ,so if ,i plan it thus ,i shall    
achieve it2 namely1 to march say        
forty-five miles or more to-day1 and to 
sleep rough at the end of it4 ,my food  
may cost me altogether three francs4 ,i 
march the next day twenty-five to       
thirty1 my food costing me another three
 francs4 ,then with the remaining two   
francs and ten centimes ,i will take a  
bed at the end of the day1 and coffee   
and bread next morning1 and will march  
the remaining twenty miles or less 7as  
they may be7 into ,milan with a copper  
or two in my pocket4 ,then in ,milan1   
having obtained my money1 ,i will eat4' 

,so ,i planned with very careful and    
exact precision1 but many accidents and 
unexpected things1 diverting my plans1  
lay in wait for me among the hills4     
,and to cut a long story short1 as the  
old sailor said to the young fool--     
,,lector4 ,what did the old sailor say  
to the young fool8  ,,auctor4 ,why1 the 
old sailor was teaching the young fool  
his compass1 and he said---  ',here we  
go from north1 making round by west1 and
 then by south round by east again to   
north4 ,there are thirty-two points of  
the compass1 namely1 first these four1  
,n41 ,w41 ,s41 and ,e41 and these are   
halved1 making four more1 viz41 ,,nw41  
,s ,w41 ,,se41 and ,,ne4 ,i trust ,i    
make myself clear1' said the old sailor4
  ',that makes eight divisions1 as we   
call them4 ,so look smart and follow4   
,each of these eight is divided into two
 symbolically and symmetrically divided 
parts1 as is most evident in the        
nomenclature of the same1' said the old 
sailor4 ',thus between ,n4 and ,,ne4 is 

,,nne41 between ,,ne4 and ,e4 is ,,ene41
 between ,e4 and ,,se4 is444'  ',i see1'
 said the young fool4  ,the old sailor1 
frowning at him1 continued--  ',smart   
you there4 ,heels together1 and note you
 well4 ,each of these sixteen divisions 
is separated quite reasonably and       
precisely into two4 ,thus between ,n4   
and ,,nne4 we get ,n4 by ,e41' said the 
old sailor2 'and between ,,nne4 and     
,,ne4 we get ,,ne4 by ,e41 and between  
,,ne4 and ,,ene4 we get ,,ne4 by ,e41'  
said the old sailor2 'and between ,,ene4
 and ,e4 we get ,e4 by ,n41 and then    
between ,e4 and ,,ese4 we get444'  ,but 
here he noticed something dangerous in  
the young fool's eyes1 and having read  
all his life ,admiral ,griles' ',notes  
on ,discipline'1 and knowing that       
discipline is a subtle bond depending   
'not on force but on an attitude of the 
mind1' he continued--  ',and so ,,to    
,,cut ,a ,,long ,,story ,,short we come 
round to the north again4' ,then he     
added1 ',it is customary also to divide 

each of these points into quarters4     
,thus ,,nne4 #c_/d ,e4 signifies444'    
,but at this point the young fool1 whose
 hands were clasped behind him and      
concealed a marlin-spike1 up and killed 
the old sailor1 and so rounded off this 
fascinating tale4  ,well then1 to cut a 
long story short1 ,i had to make forced 
marches4 ,with eight francs and ten     
centimes1 and nearer ninety than        
eighty-five miles before the next       
relief1 it was necessary to plan and    
then to urge on heroically4  ,said ,i to
 myself1 ',the thing can be done quite  
easily4 ,what is ninety miles8 ,two long
 days6 ,who cannot live on four francs a
 day8 ,why1 lots of men do it on two    
francs a day4'  ,but my guardian angel  
said to me1 ',you are an ass6 ,ninety   
miles is a great deal more than twice   
forty-five4 ,besides which' 7said he7 'a
 great effort needs largeness and ease4 
,men who live on two francs a day or    
less are not men who attempt to march   
forty-five miles a day4 ,indeed1 my     

friend1 you are pushing it very close4' 
',well1' thought ,i1 'at least in such a
 glorious air1 with such ,hills all     
about one1 and such a race1 one can come
 to no great harm4'  ,but ,i knew within
 me that ,latins are hard where money is
 concerned1 and ,i feared for my        
strength4 ,i was determined to push     
forward and to live on little4 ,i filled
 my lungs and put on the spirit of an   
attempt and swung down the valley4      
,alas6 ,i may not linger on that charge1
 for if ,i did ,i should not give you   
any measure of its determination and    
rapidity4 ,many little places passed me 
off the road on the flanks of that      
valley1 and mostly to the left4 ,while  
the morning was yet young1 ,i came to   
the packed little town of ,bodio1 and   
passed the eight franc limit by taking  
coffee1 brandy1 and bread4 ,there also  
were a gentleman and a lady in a        
carriage who wondered where ,i was      
going1 and ,i told them 7in ,french7 'to
 ,rome'4 ,it was nine in the morning    

when ,i came to ,biasca4 ,the sun was   
glorious1 and not yet warm3 it was too  
early for a meal4 ,they gave me a little
 cold meat and bread and wine1 and seven
 francs stood out dry above the falling 
tide of my money4  ,here at ,biasca the 
valley took on a different aspect4 ,it  
became wider and more of a countryside2 
the vast hills1 receding1 took on an    
appearance of less familiar majesty1 and
 because the trend of the ,ticino turned
 southerly some miles ahead the whole   
place seemed enclosed from the world4   
,one would have said that a high        
mountain before me closed it in and     
rendered it unique and unknown1 had not 
a wide cleft in the east argued another 
pass over the hills1 and reminded me    
that there were various routes over the 
crest of the ,alps4  ,indeed1 this      
hackneyed approach to ,italy which ,i   
had dreaded and despised and accepted   
only after a defeat was very marvellous1
 and this valley of the ,ticino ought to
 stand apart and be a commonwealth of   

its own like ,andorra or the            
,gresivaudan3 the noble garden of the   
,isere within the first gates of the    
,dauphine4  ,i was fatigued1 and my     
senses lost acuteness4 ,still ,i noticed
 with delight the new character of the  
miles ,i pursued4 ,a low hill just      
before me1 jutting out apparently from  
the high western mountains1 forbade me  
to see beyond it4 ,the plain was        
alluvial1 while copses and wood and many
 cultivated fields now found room where1
 higher up1 had been nothing but the bed
 of a torrent with bare banks and strips
 of grass immediately above them2 it was
 a place worthy of a special name and of
 being one lordship and a countryside4  
,still ,i went on towards that near     
boundary of the mountain spur and       
towards the point where the river       
rounded it1 the great barrier hill      
before me still seeming to shut in the  
valley4  ,it was noon1 or thereabouts1  
the heat was increasing 7,i did not feel
 it greatly1 for ,i had eaten and drunk 

next to nothing71 when1 coming round the
 point1 there opened out before me the  
great fan of the lower valley and the   
widening and fruitful plain through     
which the ,ticino rolls in a full river 
to reach ,lake ,major1 which is its sea4
  ,weary as ,i was1 the vision of this  
sudden expansion roused me and made me  
forget everything except the sight      
before me4 ,the valley turned well      
southward as it broadened4 ,the ,alps   
spread out on either side like great    
arms welcoming the southern day2 the    
wholesome and familiar haze that should 
accompany summer dimmed the more distant
 mountains of the lakes and turned them 
amethystine1 and something of repose and
 of distance was added to the landscape2
 something ,i had not seen for many     
days4 ,there was room in that air and   
space for dreams and for many living    
men1 for towns perhaps on the slopes1   
for the boats of happy men upon the     
waters1 and everywhere for crowded and  
contented living4 ,history might be in  

all this1 and ,i remembered it was the  
entry and introduction of many armies4  
,singing therefore a song of            
,charlemagne1 ,i swung on in a good     
effort to where1 right under the sun1   
what seemed a wall and two towers on a  
sharp little hillock set in the bosom of
 the valley showed me ,bellinzona4      
,within the central street of that city1
 and on its shaded side1 ,i sank down   
upon a bench before the curtained door  
of a drinking booth and boasted that ,i 
had covered in that morning my          
twenty-five miles4  ,the woman of the   
place came out to greet me1 and asked me
 a question4 ,i did not catch it 7for it
 was in a foreign language71 but        
guessing her to mean that ,i should take
 something1 ,i asked for vermouth1 and  
seeing before me a strange door built of
 red stone1 ,i drew it as ,i sipped my  
glass and the woman talked to me all the
 while in a language ,i could not       
understand4 ,and as ,i drew ,i became so
 interested that ,i forgot my poverty   

and offered her husband a glass1 and    
then gave another to a lounging man that
 had watched me at work1 and so from    
less than seven francs my money fell to 
six exactly1 and my pencil fell from my 
hand1 and ,i became afraid4  ',i have   
done a foolish thing1' said ,i to       
myself1 'and have endangered the success
 of my endeavour4 ,nevertheless1 that   
cannot now be remedied1 and ,i must eat2
 and as eating is best where one has    
friends ,i will ask a meal of this      
woman4'  ,now had they understood       
,french ,i could have bargained and     
chosen2 as it was ,i had to take what   
they were taking1 and so ,i sat with    
them as they all came out and ate       
together at the little table4 ,they had 
soup and flesh1 wine and bread1 and as  
we ate we talked1 not understanding each
 other1 and laughing heartily at our    
mutual ignorance4 ,and they charged me a
 franc1 which brought my six francs down
 to five4 ,but ,i1 knowing my subtle    
duty to the world1 put down twopence    

more1 as ,i would have done anywhere    
else1 for a pour boire2 and so with four
 francs and eighty centimes left1 and   
with much less than a third of my task  
accomplished ,i rose1 now drowsy with   
the food and wine1 and saluting them1   
took the road once more4  ,but as ,i    
left ,bellinzona there was a task before
 me which was to bring my poverty to the
 test2 for you must know that my map was
 a bad one1 and on a very small scale1  
and the road from ,bellinzona to ,lugano
 has a crook in it1 and it was essential
 to find a short cut4 ,so ,i thought to 
myself1 ',i will try to see a good map  
as cheaply as possible1' and ,i slunk   
off to the right into a kind of main    
square1 and there ,i found a proud      
stationer's shop1 such as would deal    
with rich men only1 or tourists of the  
coarser and less humble kind4 ,i entered
 with some assurance1 and said in       
,french--  ',sir1 ,i wish to know the   
hills between here and ,lugano1 but ,i  
am too poor to buy a map4 ,if you will  

let me look at one for a few moments1 ,i
 will pay you what you think fit4'  ,the
 wicked stationer became like a devil   
for pride1 and glaring at me1 said--    
',look6 ,look for yourself4 ,i do not   
take pence4 ,i sell maps2 ,i do not hire
 them6'  ,then ,i thought1 ',shall ,i   
take a favour from such a man8' ,but ,i 
yielded1 and did4 ,i went up to the wall
 and studied a large map for some       
moments4 ,then as ,i left1 ,i said to   
him--  ',sir1 ,i shall always hold in   
remembrance the day on which you did me 
this signal kindness2 nor shall ,i      
forget your courtesy and goodwill4'     
,and what do you think he did at that8  
,why1 he burst into twenty smiles1 and  
bowed and seemed beatified1 and said3   
',whatever ,i can do for my customers   
and for visitors to this town1 ,i shall 
always be delighted to do4 ,pray1 sir1  
will you not look at other maps for a   
moment8'  ,now1 why did he say this and 
grin happily like a gargoyle appeased8  
,did something in my accent suggest     

wealth8 or was he naturally kindly8 ,i  
do not know2 but of this ,i am sure1 one
 should never hate human beings merely  
on a first1 nor on a tenth1 impression4 
,who knows8 ,this map-seller of         
,bellinzona may have been a good man2   
anyhow1 ,i left him as rich as ,i had   
found him1 and remembering that the true
 key to a forced march is to break the  
twenty-four hours into three pieces1 and
 now feeling the extreme heat1 ,i went  
out along the burning straight road     
until ,i found a border of grass and a  
hedge1 and there1 in spite of the dust  
and the continually passing carts1 ,i   
lay at full length in the shade and fell
 into the sleep of men against whom     
there is no reckoning4 ,just as ,i      
forgot the world ,i heard a clock strike
 two4  ,i slept for hours beneath that  
hedge1 and when ,i woke the air was no  
longer a trembling furnace1 but         
everything about me was wrapped round as
 in a cloak of southern afternoon1 and  
was still4 ,the sun had fallen midway1  

and shone in steady glory through a haze
 that overhung ,lake ,major1 and the    
wide luxuriant estuary of the vale4     
,there lay before me a long straight    
road for miles at the base of high      
hills2 then1 far off1 this road seemed  
to end at the foot of a mountain called1
 ,i believe1 ,ash ,mount or ,cinder     
,hill4 ,but my imperfect map told me    
that here it went sharp round to the    
left1 choosing a pass1 and then at an   
angle went down its way to ,lugano4     
,now ,lugano was not fifteen miles as   
the crow flies from where ,i stood1 and 
,i determined to cut off that angle by  
climbing the high hills just above me4  
,they were wooded only on their slopes2 
their crest and much of their sides were
 a down-land of parched grass1 with     
rocks appearing here and there4 ,at the 
first divergent lane ,i made off        
eastward from the road and began to     
climb4  ,in under the chestnut trees the
 lane became a number of vague beaten   
paths2 ,i followed straight upwards4    

,here and there were little houses      
standing hidden in leaves1 and soon ,i  
crossed the railway1 and at last above  
the trees ,i saw the sight of all the   
,bellinzona valley to the north2 and    
turning my eyes ,i saw it broaden out   
between its walls to where the lake lay 
very bright1 in spite of the slight     
mist1 and this mist gave the lake       
distances1 and the mountains round about
 it were transfigured and seemed part of
 the mere light4  ,the ,italian lakes   
have that in them and their air which   
removes them from common living4 ,their 
beauty is not the beauty which each of  
us sees for himself in the world2 it is 
rather the beauty of a special creation2
 the expression of some mind4 ,to eyes  
innocent1 and first freshly noting our  
great temporal inheritance--#a mean to  
the eyes of a boy and girl just entered 
upon the estate of this glorious earth1 
and thinking themselves immortal1 this  
shrine of ,europe might remain for ever 
in the memory2 an enchanted experience1 

in which the single sense of sight had  
almost touched the boundary of music4   
,they would remember these lakes as the 
central emotion of their youth4 ,to mean
 men also who1 in spite of years and of 
a full foreknowledge of death1 yet      
attempt nothing but the satisfaction of 
sense1 and pride themselves upon the    
taste and fineness with which they      
achieve this satisfaction1 the ,italian 
lakes would seem a place for habitation1
 and there such a man might build his   
house contentedly4 ,but to ordinary     
,christians ,i am sure there is         
something unnatural in this beauty of   
theirs1 and they find in it either a    
paradise only to be won by a much longer
 road to a bait and veil of sorcery1    
behind which lies great peril4  ,now1   
for all we know1 beauty beyond the world
 may not really bear this double aspect2
 but to us on earth--if we are ordinary 
men--beauty of this kind has something  
evil4 ,have you not read in books how   
men when they see even divine visions   

are terrified8 ,so as ,i looked at ,lake
 ,major in its halo ,i also was afraid1 
and ,i was glad to cross the ridge and  
crest of the hill and to shut out that  
picture framed all round with glory4    
,but on the other side of the hill ,i   
found1 to my great disgust1 not as ,i   
had hoped1 a fine slope down leading to 
,lugano1 but a second interior valley   
and another range just opposite me4 ,i  
had not the patience to climb this so ,i
 followed down the marshy land at the   
foot of it1 passed round the end of the 
hill and came upon the railway1 which   
had tunnelled under the range ,i had    
crossed4 ,i followed the railway for a  
little while and at last crossed it1    
penetrated through a thick brushwood1   
forded a nasty little stream1 and found 
myself again on the main road1 wishing  
heartily ,i had never left it4  ,it was 
still at least seven miles to ,lugano1  
and though all the way was downhill1 yet
 fatigue threatened me4 ,these short    
cuts over marshy land and through       

difficult thickets are not short cuts at
 all1 and ,i was just wondering whether1
 although it was already evening1 ,i    
dared not rest a while1 when there      
appeared at a turn in the road a little 
pink house with a yard all shaded over  
by a vast tree2 there was also a trellis
 making a roof over a plain bench and   
table1 and on the trellis grew vines4   
',into such houses1' ,i thought1 'the   
gods walk when they come down and talk  
with men1 and such houses are the scenes
 of adventures4 ,i will go in and rest4'
  ,so ,i walked straight into the       
courtyard and found there a shrivelled  
brown-faced man with kindly eyes1 who   
was singing a song to himself4 ,he could
 talk a little ,french1 a little        
,english1 and his own ,italian language4
  ,he had been to ,america and to       
,paris2 he was full of memories2 and    
when ,i had listened to these and asked 
for food and drink1 and said ,i was     
extremely poor and would have to        
bargain1 he made a kind of litany of ',i

 will not cheat you2 ,i am an honest    
man2 ,i also am poor1' and so forth4    
,nevertheless ,i argued about every     
item--the bread1 the sausage1 and the   
beer4 ,seeing that ,i was in necessity1 
he charged me about three times their   
value1 but ,i beat him down to double1  
and lower than that he would not go4    
,then we sat down together at the table 
and ate and drank and talked of far     
countries2 and he would interject       
remarks on his honesty compared with the
 wickedness of his neighbours1 and ,i   
parried with illustrations of my poverty
 and need1 pulling out the four francs  
odd that remained to me1 and jingling   
them sorrowfully in my hand4 ',with     
these1' ,i said1 ',i must reach ,milan4'
  ,then ,i left him1 and as ,i went down
 the road a slight breeze came on1 and  
brought with it the coolness of evening4
  ,at last the falling plateau reached  
an edge1 many little lights glittered   
below me1 and ,i sat on a stone and     
looked down at the town of ,lugano4 ,it 

was nearly dark4 ,the mountains all     
around had lost their mouldings1 and    
were marked in flat silhouettes against 
the sky4 ,the new lake which had just   
appeared below me was bright as water is
 at dusk1 and far away in the north and 
east the high ,alps still stood up and  
received the large glow of evening4     
,everything else was full of the coming 
night1 and a few stars shone4 ,up from  
,she town came the distant noise of     
music2 otherwise there was no sound4 ,i 
could have rested there a long time1    
letting my tired body lapse into the    
advancing darkness1 and catching in my  
spirit the inspiration of the           
silence--had it not been for hunger4 ,i 
knew by experience that when it is very 
late one cannot be served in the        
eating-houses of poor men1 and ,i had   
not the money or any other4 ,so ,i rose 
and shambled down the steep road into   
the town1 and there ,i found a square   
with arcades1 and in the south-eastern  
corner of this square just such a little

 tavern as ,i required4 ,entering1      
therefore1 and taking off my hat very   
low1 ,i said in ,french to a man who was
 sitting there with friends1 and who was
 the master1 ',sir1 what is the least   
price at which you can give me a meal8' 
,he said1 ',what do you want8'  ,i      
answered1 ',soup1 meat1 vegetables1     
bread1 and a little wine4'  ,he counted 
on his fingers1 while all his friends   
stared respectfully at him and me4 ,he  
then gave orders1 and a very young and  
beautiful girl set before me as         
excellent a meal as ,i had eaten for    
days on days1 and he charged me but a   
franc and a half4 ,he gave me also      
coffee and a little cheese1 and ,i1     
feeling hearty1 gave threepence over for
 the service1 and they all very genially
 wished me a good-night2 but their      
wishes were of no value to me1 for the  
night was terrible4  ,i had gone over   
forty miles2 how much over ,i did not   
know4 ,i should have slept at ,lugano1  
but my lightening purse forbade me4 ,i  

thought1 ',i will push on and on2 after 
all1 ,i have already slept1 and so      
broken the back of the day4 ,i will push
 on till ,i am at the end of my tether1 
then ,i will find a wood and sleep4'    
,within four miles my strength abandoned
 me4 ,i was not even so far down the    
lake as to have lost the sound of the   
band at ,lugano floating up the still   
water1 when ,i was under an imperative  
necessity for repose4 ,it was perhaps   
ten o'clock1 and the sky was open and   
glorious with stars4 ,i climbed up a    
bank on my right1 and searching for a   
place to lie found one under a tree near
 a great telegraph pole4 ,here was a    
little parched grass1 and one could lie 
there and see the lake and wait for     
sleep4 ,it was a benediction to stretch 
out all supported by the dry earth1 with
 my little side-bag for pillow1 and to  
look at the clear night above the hills1
 and to listen to the very distant      
music1 and to wonder whether or not1 in 
this strange southern country1 there    

might not be snakes gliding about in the
 undergrowth4 ,caught in such a skein of
 influence ,i was soothed and fell      
asleep4  ,for a little while ,i slept   
dreamlessly4  ,just so much of my living
 self remained as can know1 without     
understanding1 the air around4 ,it is   
the life of trees4 ,that under-part1 the
 barely conscious base of nature which  
trees and sleeping men are sunk in1 is  
not only dominated by an immeasurable   
calm1 but is also beyond all expression 
contented4 ,and in its very stuff there 
is a complete and changeless joy4  ,this
 is surely what the great mind meant    
when it said to the ,athenian judges    
that death must not be dreaded since no 
experience in life was so pleasurable as
 a deep sleep2 for being wise and seeing
 the intercommunion of things1 he could 
not mean extinction1 which is nonsense1 
but a lapse into that under-part of     
which ,i speak4 ,for there are gods also
 below the earth4  ,but a dream came    
into my sleep and disturbed me1         

increasing life1 and therefore bringing 
pain4 ,i dreamt that ,i was arguing1 at 
first easily1 then violently1 with      
another man4 ,more and more he pressed  
me1 and at last in my dream there were  
clearly spoken words1 and he said to me1
 ',you must be wrong1 because you are so
 cold2 if you were right you would not  
be so cold4' ,and this argument seemed  
quite reasonable to me in my foolish    
dream1 and ,i muttered to him1 ',you are
 right1 ,i must be in the wrong4 ,it is 
very cold444' ,then ,i half opened my   
eyes and saw the telegraph pole1 the    
trees1 and the lake4 ,far up the lake1  
where the ,italian ,frontier cuts it1   
the torpedo-boats1 looking for          
smugglers1 were casting their           
search-lights4 ,one of the roving beams 
fell full on me and ,i became broad     
awake4 ,i stood up4  ,it was indeed     
cold1 with a kind of clinging and       
grasping chill that was not to be       
expressed in degrees of heat1 but in    
dampness perhaps1 or perhaps in some    

subtler influence of the air4  ,i sat on
 the bank and gazed at the lake in some 
despair4 ,certainly ,i could not sleep  
again without a covering cloth1 and it  
was now past midnight1 nor did ,i know  
of any house1 whether if ,i took the    
road ,i should find one in a mile1 or in
 two1 or in five4 ,and1 note you1 ,i was
 utterly exhausted4 ,that enormous march
 from ,faido1 though it had been wisely 
broken by the siesta at ,bellinzona1    
needed more than a few cold hours under 
trees1 and ,i thought of the three poor 
francs in my pocket1 and of the         
thirty-eight miles remaining to ,milan4 
,the stars were beyond the middle of    
their slow turning1 and ,i watched them1
 splendid and in order1 for sympathy1 as
 ,i also regularly1 but slowly and      
painfully1 dragged myself along my      
appointed road4 ,but in a very short    
time a great1 tall1 square1 white house 
stood right on the roadway1 and to my   
intense joy ,i saw a light in one of its
 higher windows4 ,standing therefore    

beneath1 ,i cried at the top of my      
voice1 ',hola6' five or six times4 ,a   
woman put her head out of the window    
into the fresh night1 and said1 ',you   
cannot sleep here2 we have no rooms1'   
then she remained looking out of her    
window and ready to analyse the         
difficulties of the moment2 a           
good-natured woman and fat4  ,in a      
moment another window at the same level1
 but farther from me1 opened1 and a man 
leaned out1 just as those alternate     
figures come in and out of the toys that
 tell the weather4 ',it is impossible1' 
said the man2 'we have no rooms4'  ,then
 they talked a great deal together1     
while ,i shouted1 ',quid vis8 ,non e    
possibile dormire in la foresta6 e      
troppo fredo6 ,vis ne me assassinare8   
,veni de ,lugano--e piu--non e possibile
 ritornare6' and so forth4  ,they       
answered in strophe and antistrophe1    
sometimes together in full chorus1 and  
again in semichorus1 and with           
variations1 that it was impossible4     

,then a light showed in the chinks of   
their great door2 the lock grated1 and  
it opened4 ,a third person1 a tall      
youth1 stood in the hall4 ,i went       
forward into the breach and occupied the
 hall4 ,he blinked at me above a candle1
 and murmured1 as a man apologizing ',it
 is not possible4'  ,whatever ,i have in
 common with these southerners made me  
understand that ,i had won1 so ,i smiled
 at him and nodded2 he also smiled1 and 
at once beckoned to me4 ,he led me      
upstairs1 and showed me a charming bed  
in a clean room1 where there was a      
portrait of the ,pope1 looking cunning2 
the charge for that delightful and human
 place was sixpence1 and as ,i said     
good-night to the youth1 the man and    
woman from above said good-night also4  
,and this was my first introduction to  
the most permanent feature in the       
,italian character4 ,the good people6   
,when ,i woke and rose ,i was the first 
to be up and out4 ,it was high morning4 
,the sun was not yet quite over the     

eastern mountains1 but ,i had slept1    
though so shortly yet at great ease1 and
 the world seemed new and full of a     
merry mind4 ,the sky was coloured like  
that high metal work which you may see  
in the studios of ,paris2 there was gold
 in it fading into bronze1 and above1   
the bronze softened to silver4 ,a little
 morning breeze1 courageous and steady1 
blew down the lake and provoked the     
water to glad ripples1 and there was    
nothing that did not move and take      
pleasure in the day4  ,the ,lake of     
,lugano is of a complicated shape1 and  
has many arms4 ,it is at this point very
 narrow indeed1 and shallow too2 a mole1
 pierced at either end with low arches1 
has here been thrown across it1 and by  
this mole the railway and the road pass 
over to the eastern shore4 ,i turned in 
this long causeway and noticed the      
northern view4 ,on the farther shore was
 an old village and some pleasure-houses
 of rich men on the shore2 the boats    
also were beginning to go about the     

water4 ,these boats were strange1 unlike
 other boats2 they were covered with    
hoods1 and looked like floating waggons4
 ,this was to shield the rowers from the
 sun4 ,far off a man was sailing with a 
little brown sprit-sail4 ,it was        
morning1 and all the world was alive4   
,coffee in the village left me two      
francs and two pennies4 ,i still thought
 the thing could be done1 so            
invigorating and deceiving are the early
 hours1 and coming farther down the road
 to an old and beautiful courtyard on   
the left1 ,i drew it1 and hearing a bell
 at hand ,i saw a tumble-down church    
with trees before it1 and went in to    
,mass2 and though it was a little low   
village ,mass1 yet the priest had three 
acolytes to serve it1 and 7true and     
gracious mark of a ,catholic country67  
these boys were restless and distracted 
at their office4  ,you may think it     
trivial1 but it was certainly a portent4
 ,one of the acolytes had half his head 
clean shaved6 ,a most extraordinary     

sight6 ,i could not take my eyes from   
it1 and ,i heartily wished ,i had an    
,omen-book with me to tell me what it   
might mean4  ,when there were oracles on
 earth1 before ,pan died1 this sight    
would have been of the utmost use4 ,for 
,i should have consulted the oracle     
woman for a ,lira--at ,biasca for       
instance1 or in the lonely woods of the 
,cinder ,mountain2 and1 after a lot of  
incense and hesitation1 and wrestling   
with the god1 the oracle would have     
accepted ,apollo and1 staring like one  
entranced1 she would have chanted verses
 which1 though ambiguous1 would at least
 have been a guide4 ,thus3    ,matutinus
 adest ubi ,vesper1 et accipiens te     
,saepe recusatum voces intelligit hospes
   ,rusticus ignotas notas1 ac flumina  
tellus   ,occupat--,in sancto tum1 tum1 
stans   ,aede caveto ,tonsuram ,hirsuti 
,capitis1 via namque pedestrem   ,ferrea
 praeveniens cursum1 peregrine1 laborem 
,pro pietate tua inceptum frustratur1   
amore   ,antiqui ,ritus alto sub ,numine

 ,romae4  ,,lector4 ,what ,hoggish great
 ,participles6  ,,auctor4 ,well1 well1  
you see it was but a rustic oracle at #i
 #c_/d d4 the revelation1 and even that 
is supposing silver at par4 ,let us     
translate it for the vulgar3  ,when     
early morning seems but eve ,and they   
that still refuse receive3 ,when speech 
unknown men understand2 ,and floods are 
crossed upon dry land4 ,within the      
,sacred ,walls beware ,the ,shaven ,head
 that boasts of ,hair1 ,for when the    
road attains the rail ,the ,pilgrim's   
great attempt shall fail4  ,of course   
such an oracle might very easily have   
made me fear too much4 ,the 'shaven     
head' ,i should have taken for a priest1
 especially if it was to be met with 'in
 a temple'--it might have prevented me  
entering a church1 which would have been
 deplorable4 ,then ,i might have taken  
it to mean that ,i should never have    
reached ,rome1 which would have been a  
monstrous weight upon my mind4 ,still1  
as things unfolded themselves1 the      

oracle would have become plainer and    
plainer1 and ,i felt the lack of it     
greatly4 ,for1 ,i repeat1 ,i had        
certainly received an omen4  ,the road  
now neared the end of the lake1 and the 
town called ,capo di ,lago1 or          
',lake-head'1 lay off to my right4 ,i   
saw also that in a very little while ,i 
should abruptly find the plains4 ,a low 
hill some five miles ahead of me was the
 last roll of the mountains1 and just   
above me stood the last high crest1 a   
precipitous peak of bare rock1 up which 
there ran a cog-railway to some hotel or
 other4 ,i passed through an old town   
under the now rising heat2 ,i passed a  
cemetery in the ,italian manner1 with   
marble figures like common living men4  
,the road turned to the left1 and ,i was
 fairly on the shoulder of the last     
glacis4 ,i stood on the ,alps at their  
southern bank1 and before me was        
,lombardy4  ,also in this ending of the 
,swiss canton one was more evidently in 
,italy than ever4 ,a village perched    

upon a rock1 deep woods and a ravine    
below it1 its houses and its church1 all
 betrayed the full ,italian spirit4     
,the frontier town was ,chiasso4 ,i     
hesitated with reverence before touching
 the sacred soil which ,i had taken so  
long to reach1 and ,i longed to be able 
to drink its health2 but though ,i had  
gone1 ,i suppose1 ten miles1 and though 
the heat was increasing1 ,i would not   
stop2 for ,i remembered the two francs1 
and my former certitude of reaching     
,milan was shaking and crumbling4 ,the  
great heat of midday would soon be on   
me1 ,i had yet nearly thirty miles to   
go1 and my bad night began to oppress   
me4  ,i crossed the frontier1 which is  
here an imaginary line4 ,two slovenly   
customs-house men asked me if ,i had    
anything dutiable on me4 ,i said ,no1   
and it was evident enough1 for in my    
little sack or pocket was nothing but a 
piece of bread4 ,if they had applied the
 ,american test1 and searched me for    
money1 then indeed they could have      

turned me back1 and ,i should have been 
forced to go into the fields a quarter  
of a mile or so and come into their     
country by a path instead of a highroad4
  ,this necessity was spared me4 ,i     
climbed slowly up the long slope that   
hides ,como1 then ,i came down upon that
 lovely city and saw its frame of hills 
and its lake below me4  ,these things   
are not like things seen by the eyes4 ,i
 say it again1 they are like what one   
feels when music is played4  ,i entered 
,como between ten and eleven faint for  
food1 and then a new interest came to   
fill my mind with memories of this great
 adventure4 ,the lake was in flood1 and 
all the town was water4  ,como dry must 
be interesting enough2 ,como flooded is 
a marvel4 ,what else is ,venice8 ,and   
here is a ,venice at the foot of high   
mountains1 and all in the water1 no     
streets or squares2 a fine even depth of
 three feet and a half or so for        
navigators1 much what you have in the   
,spitway in ,london ,river at low spring

 tides4  ,there were a few boats about1 
but the traffic and pleasure of ,como   
was passing along planks laid on        
trestles over the water here and there  
like bridges2 and for those who were in 
haste1 and could afford it 7such as take
 cabs in ,london71 there were           
wheelbarrows1 coster carts1 and what    
not1 pulled about by men for hire2 and  
it was a sight to remember all one's    
life to see the rich men of ,como       
squatting on these carts and barrows1   
and being pulled about over the water by
 the poor men of ,como1 being1 indeed1  
an epitome of all modern sociology and  
economics and religion and organized    
charity and strenuousness and liberalism
 and sophistry generally4  ,for my part 
,i was determined to explore this       
curious town in the water1 and ,i       
especially desired to see it on the lake
 side1 because there one would get the  
best impression of its being really an  
aquatic town2 so ,i went northward1 as  
,i was directed1 and came quite         

unexpectedly upon the astonishing       
cathedral4 ,it seemed built of polished 
marble1 and it was in every way so      
exquisite in proportion1 so delicate in 
sculpture1 and so triumphant in         
attitude1 that ,i thought to myself--   
',no wonder men praise ,italy if this   
first ,italian town has such a building 
as this4'  ,but1 as you will learn      
later1 many of the things praised are   
ugly1 and are praised only by certain   
followers of charlatans4  ,so ,i went on
 till ,i got to the lake1 and there ,i  
found a little port about as big as a   
dining-room 7for the ,italian lakes play
 at being little seas4  ,they have      
little ports1 little lighthouses1 little
 fleets for war1 and little             
custom-houses1 and little storms and    
little lines of steamers4  ,indeed1 if  
one wanted to give a rich child a       
perfect model or toy1 one could not give
 him anything better than an ,italian   
lake71 and when ,i had long gazed at the
 town1 standing1 as it seemed1 right in 

the lake1 ,i felt giddy1 and said to    
myself1 ',this is the lack of food1' for
 ,i had eaten nothing but my coffee and 
bread eleven miles before1 at dawn4  ,so
 ,i pulled out my two francs1 and going 
into a little shop1 ,i bought bread1    
sausage1 and a very little wine for     
fourpence1 and with one franc eighty    
left ,i stood in the street eating and  
wondering what my next step should be4  
,it seemed on the map perhaps           
twenty-five1 perhaps twenty-six miles to
 ,milan4 ,it was now nearly noon1 and as
 hot as could be4 ,i might1 if ,i held  
out1 cover the distance in eight or nine
 hours1 but ,i did not see myself       
walking in the middle heat on the plain 
of ,lombardy1 and even if ,i had been   
able ,i should only have got into ,milan
 at dark or later1 when the post office 
7with my money in it7 would be shut2 and
 where could ,i sleep1 for my one franc 
eighty would be gone8 ,a man covering   
these distances must have one good meal 
a day or he falls ill4 ,i could beg1 but

 there was the risk of being arrested1  
and that means an indefinite waste of   
time1 perhaps several days2 and time1   
that had defeated me at the ,gries1     
threatened me here again4 ,i had nothing
 to sell or to pawn1 and ,i had no      
friends4 ,the ,consul ,i would not      
attempt2 ,i knew too much of such things
 as ,consuls when poor and dirty men try
 them4 ,besides which1 there was no     
,consul ,i pondered4  ,i went into the  
cool of the cathedral to sit in its fine
 darkness and think better4 ,i sat      
before a shrine where candles were      
burning1 put up for their private       
intentions by the faithful4 ,of many1   
two had nearly burnt out4 ,i watched    
them in their slow race for extinction  
when a thought took me4  ',i will1' said
 ,i to myself1 'use these candles for an
 ordeal or heavenly judgement4 ,the left
 hand one shall be for attempting the   
road at the risk of illness or very     
dangerous failure2 the right hand one   
shall stand for my going by rail till ,i

 come to that point on the railway where
 one franc eighty will take me1 and     
thence walking into ,milan3--and heaven 
defend the right4'  ,they were a long   
time going out1 and they fell evenly4   
,at last the right hand one shot up the 
long flame that precedes the death of   
candles2 the contest took on interest1  
and even excitement1 when1 just as ,i   
thought the left hand certain of        
winning1 it went out without guess or   
warning1 like a second-rate person      
leaving this world for another4 ,the    
right hand candle waved its flame still 
higher1 as though in triumph1 outlived  
its colleague just the moment to enjoy  
glory1 and then in its turn went        
fluttering down the dark way from which 
they say there is no return4  ,none may 
protest against the voice of the ,gods4 
,i went straight to the nearest railway 
station 7for there are two71 and putting
 down one franc eighty1 asked in ,french
 for a ticket to whatever station that  
sum would reach down the line4 ,the     

ticket came out marked ,milan1 and ,i   
admitted the miracle and confessed the  
finger of ,providence4 ,there was no    
change1 and as ,i got into the train ,i 
had become that rarest and ultimate kind
 of traveller1 the man without any money
 whatsoever-- without passport1 without 
letters1 without food or wine2 it would 
be interesting to see what would follow 
if the train broke down4  ,i had marched
 #cgh miles and some three furlongs1 or 
thereabouts4  ,thus did ,i break--but by
 a direct command--the last and dearest 
of my vows1 and as the train rumbled    
off1 ,i took luxury in the rolling      
wheels4  ,i thought of that other       
medieval and papistical pilgrim hobbling
 along rather than 'take advantage of   
any wheeled thing'1 and ,i laughed at   
him4  ,now if ,moroso-,malodoroso or any
 other ,non-,aryan1 ,antichristian1     
over-inductive1 statistical1            
brittle-minded man and scientist1 sees  
anything remarkable in one self laughing
 at another self1 let me tell him and   

all such for their wide-eyed edification
 and astonishment that ,i knew a man    
once that had fifty-six selves 7there   
would have been fifty-seven1 but for the
 poet in him that died young7--he could 
evolve them at will1 and they were very 
useful to lend to the parish priest when
 he wished to make up a respectable     
,procession on ,holy-days4 ,and ,i knew 
another man that could make himself so  
tall as to look over the heads of the   
scientists as a pine-tree looks over    
grasses1 and again so small as to       
discern very clearly the thick coating  
or dust of wicked pride that covers them
 up in a fine impenetrable coat4 ,so    
much for the moderns4  ,the train rolled
 on4 ,i noticed ,lombardy out of the    
windows4 ,it is flat4 ,i listened to the
 talk of the crowded peasants in the    
train4 ,i did not understand it4 ,i     
twice leaned out to see if ,milan were  
not standing up before me out of the    
plain1 but ,i saw nothing4 ,then ,i fell
 asleep1 and when ,i woke suddenly it   

was because we were in the terminus of  
that noble great town1 which ,i then set
 out to traverse in search of my        
necessary money and sustenance4 ,it was 
yet but early in the afternoon4  ,what a
 magnificent city is ,milan6 ,the great 
houses are all of stone1 and stand      
regular and in order1 along wide        
straight streets4 ,there are swift cars1
 drawn by electricity1 for such as can  
afford them4 ,men are brisk and alert   
even in the summer heats1 and there are 
shops of a very good kind1 though a     
trifle showy4 ,there are many newspapers
 to help the ,milanese to be better men 
and to cultivate charity and humility2  
there are banks full of paper money2    
there are soldiers1 good pavements1 and 
all that man requires to fulfil him1    
soul and body2 cafes1 arcades1          
mutoscopes1 and every sign of the       
perfect state4 ,and the whole centres in
 a splendid open square1 in the midst of
 which is the cathedral1 which is justly
 the most renowned in the world4  ,my   

pilgrimage is to ,rome1 my business is  
with lonely places1 hills1 and the      
recollection of the spirit4 ,it would be
 waste to describe at length this mighty
 capital4 ,the mists and the woods1 the 
snows and the interminable way1 had left
 me ill-suited for the place1 and ,i was
 ashamed4 ,i sat outside a cafe1        
opposite the cathedral1 watching its    
pinnacles of light2 but ,i was ashamed4 
,perhaps ,i did the master a hurt by    
sitting there in his fine great cafe1   
unkempt1 in such clothes1 like a tramp2 
but he was courteous in spite of his    
riches1 and ,i ordered a very expensive 
drink for him also1 in order to make    
amends4 ,i showed him my sketches1 and  
told him of my adventures in ,french1   
and he was kind enough to sit opposite  
me1 and to take that drink with me4 ,he 
talked ,french quite easily1 as it seems
 do all such men in the principal towns 
of north ,italy4 ,still1 the broad day  
shamed me1 and only when darkness came  
did ,i feel at ease4  ,i wandered in the

 streets till ,i saw a small eating     
shop1 and there ,i took a good meal4    
,but when one is living the life of the 
poor1 one sees how hard are the great   
cities4 ,everything was dearer1 and     
worse1 than in the simple countrysides4 
,the innkeeper and his wife were kindly1
 but their eyes showed that they had    
often to suspect men4 ,they gave me a   
bed1 but it was a franc and more1 and ,i
 had to pay before going upstairs to it4
 ,the walls were mildewed1 the place    
ramshackle and evil1 the rickety bed not
 clean1 the door broken and warped1 and 
that night ,i was oppressed with the    
vision of poverty4 ,dirt and clamour and
 inhuman conditions surrounded me4 ,yet 
the people meant well4  ,with the first 
light ,i got up quietly1 glad to find   
the street again and the air4 ,i stood  
in the crypt of the cathedral to hear   
the ,ambrosian ,mass1 and it was 7as ,i 
had expected7 like any other1 save for a
 kind of second lavabo before the       
,elevation4 ,to read the distorted      

stupidity of the north one might have   
imagined that in the ,ambrosian ritual  
the priest put a non before the credo1  
and nec's at each clause of it1 and     
renounced his baptismal vows at the     
kyrie2 but the ,milanese are ,catholics 
like any others1 and the northern       
historians are either liars or ignorant 
men4 ,and ,i know three that are both   
together4  ,then ,i set out down the    
long street that leads south out of     
,milan1 and was soon in the dull and    
sordid suburb of the ,piacenzan way4    
,the sky was grey1 the air chilly1 and  
in a little while--alas6--it rained4    
,lombardy is an alluvial plain4  ,that  
is the pretty way of putting it4 ,the   
truth is more vivid if you say that     
,lombardy is as flat as a marsh1 and    
that it is made up of mud4 ,of course   
this mud dries when the sun shines on   
it1 but mud it is and mud it will       
remain2 and that day1 as the rain began 
falling1 mud it rapidly revealed itself 
to be2 and the more did it seem to be   

mud when one saw how the moistening soil
 showed cracks from the last day's heat4
  ,lombardy has no forests1 but any     
amount of groups of trees2 moreover     
7what is very remarkable71 it is all    
cultivated in fields more or less       
square4  ,these fields have ditches     
round them1 full of mud and water       
running slowly1 and some of them are    
themselves under water in order to      
cultivate rice4 ,all these fields have a
 few trees bordering them1 apart from   
the standing clumps2 but these trees are
 not very high4 ,there are no open views
 in ,lombardy1 and ,lombardy is all the 
same4 ,irregular large farmsteads stand 
at random all up and down the country2  
no square mile of ,lombardy is empty4   
,there are many1 many little villages2  
many straggling small towns about seven 
to eight miles apart1 and a great number
 of large towns from thirty to fifty    
miles apart4 ,indeed1 this very road to 
,piacenza1 which the rain now covered   
with a veil of despair1 was among the   

longest stretches between any two large 
towns1 although it was less than fifty  
miles4  ,on the map1 before coming to   
this desolate place1 there seemed a     
straighter and a better way to ,rome    
than this great road4 ,there is a river 
called the ,lambro1 which comes east of 
,milan and cuts the ,piacenzan road at a
 place called ,melegnano4 ,it seemed to 
lead straight down to a point on the    
,po1 a little above ,piacenza4 ,this    
stream one could follow 7so it seemed71 
and when it joined the ,po get a boat or
 ferry1 and see on the other side the   
famous ,trebbia1 where ,hannibal        
conquered and ,joubert fell1 and so make
 straight on for the ,apennine4  ,since 
it is always said in books that         
,lombardy is a furnace in summer1 and   
that whole great armies have died of the
 heat there1 this river bank would make 
a fine refuge4 ,clear and delicious     
water1 more limpid than glass1 would    
reflect and echo the restless poplars1  
and would make tolerable or even        

pleasing the excessive summer4 ,not so4 
,it was a northern mind judging by      
northern things that came to this       
conclusion4 ,there is not in all        
,lombardy a clear stream1 but every     
river and brook is rolling mud4 ,in the 
rain1 not heat1 but a damp and          
penetrating chill was the danger4 ,there
 is no walking on the banks of the      
rivers2 they are cliffs of crumbling    
soil1 jumbled anyhow4  ,man may1 as     
,pinkerton 7,sir ,jonas ,pinkerton7     
writes1 be master of his fate1 but he   
has a precious poor servant4 ,it is     
easier to command a lapdog or a mule for
 a whole day than one's own fate for    
half-an-hour4  ,nevertheless1 though it 
was apparent that ,i should have to     
follow the main road for a while1 ,i    
determined to make at last to the right 
of it1 and to pass through a place      
called ',old ,lodi'1 for ,i reasoned    
thus3 ',lodi is the famous town4 ,how   
much more interesting must ,old ,lodi be
 which is the mothertown of ,lodi8'     

,also1 ,old ,lodi brought me back again 
on the straight line to ,rome1 and ,i   
foolishly thought it might be possible  
to hear there of some straight path down
 the ,lambro 7for that river still      
possessed me somewhat74  ,therefore1    
after hours and hours of trudging       
miserably along the wide highway in the 
wretched and searching rain1 after      
splashing through tortuous ,melegnano1  
and not even stopping to wonder if it   
was the place of the battle1 after      
noting in despair the impossible        
,lambro1 ,i came1 caring for nothing1 to
 the place where a secondary road       
branches off to the right over a level  
crossing and makes for ,lodi ,vecchio4  
,it was not nearly midday1 but ,i had   
walked perhaps fifteen miles1 and had   
only rested once in a miserable         
,trattoria4 ,in less than three miles ,i
 came to that unkempt and lengthy       
village1 founded upon dirt and living in
 misery1 and through the quiet1 cold1   
persistent rain ,i splashed up the main 

street4 ,i passed wretched1 shivering   
dogs and mournful fowls that took a poor
 refuge against walls2 passed a sad     
horse that hung its head in the wet and 
stood waiting for a master1 till at last
 ,i reached the open square where the   
church stood1 then ,i knew that ,i had  
seen all ,old ,lodi had to offer me4    
,so1 going into an eating-house1 or inn1
 opposite the church1 ,i found a girl   
and her mother serving1 and ,i saluted  
them1 but there was no fire1 and my     
heart sank to the level of that room1   
which was1 ,i am sure1 no more than     
fifty-four degrees4  ,why should the    
less gracious part of a pilgrimage be   
specially remembered8  ,in life were    
remember joy best--that is what makes us
 sad by contrast2 pain somewhat1        
especially if it is acute2 but dulness  
never4 ,and a book--which has it in its 
own power to choose and to              
emphasize--has no business to record    
dulness4 ,what did ,i at ,lodi ,vecchio8
 ,i ate2 ,i dried my clothes before a   

tepid stove in a kitchen4 ,i tried to   
make myself understood by the girl and  
her mother4 ,i sat at a window and drew 
the ugly church on principle4 ,oh1 the  
vile sketch6  ,worthy of that ,lombard  
plain1 which they had told me was so    
full of wonderful things4 ,i gave up all
 hope of by-roads1 and ,i determined to 
push back obliquely to the highway      
again--obliquely in order to save time6 
,nepios6  ,these 'by-roads' of the map  
turned out in real life to be all manner
 of abominable tracks4 ,some few were   
metalled1 some were cart-ruts merely1   
some were open lanes of rank grass2 and 
along most there went a horrible ditch1 
and in many fields the standing water   
proclaimed desolation4 ,,in so far as ,i
 can be said to have had a way at all1  
,i lost it4 ,i could not ask my way     
because my only ultimate goal was       
,piacenza1 and that was far off4 ,i did 
not know the name of any place between4 
,two or three groups of houses ,i       
passed1 and sometimes church towers     

glimmered through the rain4 ,i passed a 
larger and wider road than the rest1 but
 obviously not my road2 ,i pressed on   
and passed another2 and by this time1   
having ploughed up ,lombardy for some   
four hours1 ,i was utterly lost4 ,i no  
longer felt the north1 and1 for all ,i  
knew1 ,i might be going backwards4 ,the 
only certain thing was that ,i was      
somewhere in the belt between the       
highroad and the ,lambro1 and that was  
little enough to know at the close of   
such a day4 ,grown desperate1 ,i        
clamoured within my mind for a miracle2 
and it was not long before ,i saw a     
little bent man sitting on a crazy cart 
and going ahead of me at a pace much    
slower than a walk--the pace of a horse 
crawling4 ,i caught him up1 and1        
doubting much whether he would          
understand a word1 ,i said to him       
repeatedly--  ',la granda via8 ,la via a
 ,piacenza8'  ,he shook his head as     
though to indicate that this filthy lane
 was not the road4 ,just as ,i had      

despaired of learning anything1 he      
pointed with his arm away to the right1 
perpendicularly to the road we were on1 
and nodded4 ,he moved his hand up and   
down4 ,i had been going north6  ,on     
getting this sign ,i did not wait for a 
cross road1 but jumped the little ditch 
and pushed through long grass1 across   
further ditches1 along the side of      
patches of growing corn1 heedless of the
 huge weight on my boots and of the     
oozing ground1 till ,i saw against the  
rainy sky a line of telegraph poles4    
,for the first time since they were made
 the sight of them gave a man joy4      
,there was a long stagnant pond full of 
reeds between me and the railroad2 but1 
as ,i outflanked it1 ,i came upon a road
 that crossed the railway at a level and
 led me into the great ,piacenzan way4  
,almost immediately appeared a village4 
,it was a hole called ,secugnano1 and   
there ,i entered a house where a bush   
hanging above the door promised         
entertainment1 and an old hobbling woman

 gave me food and drink and a bed4 ,the 
night had fallen1 and upon the roof     
above me ,i could hear the steady rain4 
,the next morning--,heaven preserve the 
world from evil6--it was still raining4 
,,lector4 ,it does not seem to me that  
this part of your book is very          
entertaining4  ,,auctor4 ,i know that2  
but what am ,i to do8  ,,lector4 ,why1  
what was the next point in the          
pilgrimage that was even tolerably      
noteworthy8  ,,auctor4 ,i suppose the   
,bridge of ,boats4  ,,lector4 ,and how  
far on was that8  ,,auctor4 ,about      
fourteen miles1 more or less444 ,i      
passed through a town with a name as    
long as my arm1 and ,i suppose the      
,bridge of ,boats must have been nine   
miles on after that4  ,,lector4 ,and it 
rained all the time1 and there was mud8 
,,auctor4 ,precisely4  ,,lector4 ,well1 
then1 let us skip it and tell stories4  
,,auctor4 ,with all my heart4 ,and since
 you are such a good judge of literary  
poignancy1 do you begin4  ,,lector4 ,i  

will1 and ,i draw my inspiration from   
your style4  ,once upon a time there was
 a man who was born in ,croydon1 and    
whose name was ,charles ,amieson ,blake4
 ,he went to ,rugby at twelve and left  
it at seventeen4 ,he fell in love twice 
and then went to ,cambridge till he was 
twenty-three4 ,having left ,cambridge he
 fell in love more mildly1 and was put  
by his father into a government office1 
where he began at #ahj pounds a year4   
,at thirty-five he was earning #ejj     
pounds a year1 and perquisites made #gej
 pounds a year4 ,he met a pleasant lady 
and fell in love quite a little compared
 with the other times4 ,she had #bej    
pounds a year4 ,that made #ajjj pounds a
 year4 ,they married and had three      
children--,richard1 ,amy1 and ,cornelia4
 ,he rose to a high government position1
 was knighted1 retired at sixty-three1  
and died at sixty-seven4 ,he is buried  
at ,kensal ,green444  ,,auctor4 ,thank  
you1 ,lector1 that is a very good story4
 ,it is simple and full of plain human  

touches4 ,you know how to deal with the 
facts of everyday life444 ,it requires a
 master-hand4 ,tell me1 ,lector1 had    
this man any adventures8  ,,lector4     
,none that ,i know of4  ,,auctor4 ,had  
he opinions8  ,,lector4 ,yes4 ,i forgot 
to tell you he was a ,unionist4 ,he     
spoke two foreign languages badly4 ,he  
often went abroad to ,assisi1 ,florence1
 and ,boulogne444  ,he left #g1fbc      
pounds #fs4 #h;d41 and a house and      
garden at ,sutton4 ,his wife lives there
 still4  ,,auctor4 ,oh6  ,,lector4 ,it  
is the human story444 the daily task6   
,,auctor4 ,very true1 my dear ,lector444
 the common lot444 ,now let me tell my  
story4 ,it is about the ,hole that could
 not be ,filled ,up4  ,,lector4 ,oh no6 
,auctor1 no6 ,that is the oldest story  
in the--  ,,auctor4 ,patience1 dear     
,lector1 patience6 ,i will tell it well4
 ,besides which ,i promise you it shall 
never be told again4 ,i will copyright  
it4  ,well1 once there was a ,learned   
,man who had a bargain with the ,devil  

that he should warn the ,devil's        
emissaries of all the good deeds done   
around him so that they could be upset1 
and he in turn was to have all those    
pleasant things of this life which the  
,devil's allies usually get1 to wit a   
,comfortable ,home1 ,self-,respect1 good
 health1 'enough money for one's rank'1 
and generally what is called 'a happy   
useful life'--till midnight of          
,all-,hallowe'en in the last year of the
 nineteenth century4  ,so this ,learned 
,man did all he was required1 and daily 
would inform the messenger imps of the  
good being done or prepared in the      
neighbourhood1 and they would upset it2 
so that the place he lived in from a    
nice country town became a great ,centre
 of ,industry1 full of wealth and       
desirable family mansions and street    
property1 and was called in hell ',depot
 ,b' 7,depot ,a you may guess at74 ,but 
at last toward the #aeth of ,october    
#aijj1 the ,learned ,man began to shake 
in his shoes and to dread the judgement2

 for1 you see1 he had not the           
comfortable ignorance of his kind1 and  
was compelled to believe in the ,devil  
willy-nilly1 and1 as ,i say1 he shook in
 his shoes4  ,so he bethought him of a  
plan to cheat the ,devil1 and the day   
before ,all-,hallowe'en he cut a very   
small round hole in the floor of his    
study1 just near the fireplace1 right   
through down to the cellar4 ,then he got
 a number of things that do great harm  
7newspapers1 legal documents1 unpaid    
bills1 and so forth7 and made ready for 
action4  ,next morning when the little  
imps came for orders as usual1 after    
prayers1 he took them down into the     
cellar1 and pointing out the hole in the
 ceiling1 he said to them3  ',my        
friends1 this little hole is a mystery4 
,it communicates1 ,i believe1 with the  
chapel2 but ,i cannot find the exit4    
,all ,i know is1 that some pious person 
or angel1 or what not1 desirous to do   
good1 slips into it every day whatever  
he thinks may be a cause of evil in the 

neighbourhood1 hoping thus to destroy   
it' 7in proof of which statement he     
showed them a scattered heap of         
newspapers on the floor of the cellar   
beneath the hole74 ',and the best thing 
you can do1' he added1 'is to stay here 
and take them away as far as they come  
down and put them back into circulation 
again4 ,tut6 tut6' he added1 picking up 
a moneylender's threatening letter to a 
widow1 'it is astonishing how these     
people interfere with the most sacred   
rights6 ,here is a letter actually      
stolen from the post6 ,pray see that it 
is delivered4'  ,so he left the little  
imps at work1 and fed them from above   
with all manner of evil-doing things1   
which they as promptly drew into the    
cellar1 and at intervals flew away with1
 to put them into circulation again4    
,that evening1 at about half-past       
eleven1 the ,devil came to fetch the    
,learned ,man1 and found him seated at  
his fine great desk1 writing4 ,the      
,learned ,man got up very affably to    

receive the ,devil1 and offered him a   
chair by the fire1 just near the little 
round hole4  ',pray don't move1' said   
the ,devil2 ',i came early on purpose   
not to disturb you4'  ',you are very    
good1' replied the ,learned ,man4 ',the 
fact is1 ,i have to finish my report on 
,lady ,grope's ,settlement among our    
,poor in the ,bull ,ring--it is making  
some progress4 ,but their condition is  
heart-breaking1 my dear sir2            
heart-breaking6'  ',i can well believe  
it1' said the ,devil sadly and solemnly1
 leaning back in his chair1 and pressing
 his hands together like a roof4 ',the  
poor in our great towns1 ,sir ,charles' 
7for the ,learned ,man had been made a  
,baronet71 'the condition1 ,i say1 of   
the--,don't ,i feel a draught8' he added
 abruptly4 ,for the ,devil can't bear   
draughts4  ',why1' said the ,learned    
,man1 as though ashamed1 'just near your
 chair there is a little hole that ,i   
have done my best to fill up1 but       
somehow it seemed impossible to fill    

it444 ,i don't know444'  ,the ,devil    
hates excuses1 and is above all         
practical1 so he just whipped the soul  
of a lawyer out of his side-pocket1 tied
 a knot in it to stiffen it1 and shoved 
it into the hole4  ',there6' said the   
,devil contentedly2 'if you had taken a 
piece of rag1 or what not1 you might    
yourself444 ,hulloa6444' ,he looked down
 and saw the hole still gaping1 and he  
felt a furious draught coming up again4 
,he wondered a little1 and then         
muttered3 ',it's a pity ,i have on my   
best things4 ,i never dare crease them1 
and ,i have nothing in my pockets to    
speak of1 otherwise ,i might have       
brought something bigger4' ,he felt in  
his left-hand trouser pocket1 and fished
 out a pedant1 crumpled him carefully   
into a ball1 and stuffed him hard into  
the hole1 so that he suffered agonies4  
,then the ,devil watched carefully4 ,the
 soul of the pedant was at first tugged 
as if from below1 then drawn slowly     
down1 and finally shot off out of sight4

  ',this is a most extraordinary thing6'
 said the ,devil4  ',it is the draught4 
,it is very strong between the joists1' 
ventured the ,learned ,man4             
',fiddle-sticks ends6' shouted the      
,devil4 ',it is a trick6 ,but ,i've     
never been caught yet1 and ,i never will
 be4'  ,he clapped his hands1 and a     
whole host of his followers poured in   
through the windows with mortgages1     
,acts of ,parliament1 legal decisions1  
declarations of war1 charters to        
universities1 patents for medicines1    
naturalization orders1 shares in gold   
mines1 specifications1 prospectuses1    
water companies' reports1 publishers'   
agreements1 letters patent1 freedoms of 
cities1 and1 in a word1 all that the    
,devil controls in the way of           
hole-stopping rubbish2 and the ,devil1  
kneeling on the floor1 stuffed them into
 the hole like a madman4 ,but as fast as
 he stuffed1 the little imps below 7who 
had summoned a number of their kind to  
their aid also7 pulled it through and   

carted it away4 ,and the ,devil1 like   
one possessed1 lashed the floor with his
 tail1 and his eyes glared like coals of
 fire1 and the sweat ran down his face1 
and he breathed hard1 and pushed every  
imaginable thing he had into the hole so
 swiftly that at last his documents and 
parchments looked like streaks and      
flashes4 ,but the loyal little imps1 not
 to be beaten1 drew them through into   
the cellar as fast as machinery1 and    
whirled them to their assistants2 and   
all the poor lost souls who had been    
pressed into the service were groaning  
that their one holiday in the year was  
being filched from them1 when1 just as  
the process was going on so fast that it
 roared like a printing-machine in full 
blast1 the clock in the hall struck     
twelve4  ,the ,devil suddenly stopped   
and stood up4  ',out of my house1' said 
the ,learned ,man2 'out of my house6    
,i've had enough of you1 and ,i've no   
time for fiddle-faddle6 ,it's past      
twelve1 and ,i've won6'  ,the ,devil1   

though still panting1 smiled a          
diabolical smile1 and pulling out his   
repeater 7which he had taken as a       
perquisite from the body of a member of 
,parliament71 said1 ',i suppose you keep
 ,greenwich time8'  ',certainly6' said  
,sir ,charles4  ',well1' said the       
,devil1 'so much the worse for you to   
live in ,suffolk4 ,you're four minutes  
fast1 so ,i'll trouble you to come along
 with me2 and ,i warn you that any words
 you now say may be used against444'    
,at this point the ,learned ,man's      
patron saint1 who thought things had    
gone far enough1 materialized himself   
and coughed gently4 ,they both looked   
round1 and there was ,st ,charles       
sitting in the easy chair4  ',so far1'  
murmured the ,saint to the ,devil       
suavely1 'so far from being four minutes
 too early1 you are exactly a year too  
late4' ,on saying this1 the ,saint      
smiled a genial1 priestly smile1 folded 
his hands1 twiddled his thumbs slowly   
round and round1 and gazed in a fatherly

 way at the ,devil4  ',what do you      
mean8' shouted the ,devil4  ',what ,i   
say1' said ,st ,charles calmly2 '#aijj  
is not the last year of the nineteenth  
century2 it is the first year of the    
twentieth4'  ',oh6' sneered the ,devil1 
'are you an anti-vaccinationist as well8
 ,now1 look here' 7and he began counting
 on his fingers72 'supposing in the year
 #a ,b4,c4444'  ',i never argue1' said  
,st ,charles4  ',well1 all ,i know is1' 
answered the ,devil with some heat1     
'that in this matter as in most others1 
thank the ,lord1 ,i have on my side all 
the historians and all the scientists1  
all the universities1 all the444'  ',and
 ,i1' interrupted ,st ,charles1 waving  
his hand like a gentleman 7he is a      
,borromeo71 ',i have the ,pope6'  ,at   
this the ,devil gave a great howl1 and  
disappeared in a clap of thunder1 and   
was never seen again till his recent    
appearance at ,brighton4  ,so the       
,learned ,man was saved2 but hardly2 for
 he had to spend five hundred years in  

,purgatory catechizing such heretics and
 pagans as got there1 and instructing   
them in the true faith4 ,and with the   
more muscular he passed a knotty time4  
,you do not see the river ,po till you  
are close to it4 ,then1 a little crook  
in the road being passed1 you come      
between high trees1 and straight out    
before you1 level with you1 runs the    
road into and over a very wide mass of  
tumbling water4 ,it does not look like a
 bridge1 it looks like a quay4 ,it does 
not rise2 it has all the appearance of  
being a strip of road shaved off and    
floated on the water4  ,all this is     
because it passes over boats1 as do some
 bridges over the ,rhine4 7,at ,cologne1
 ,i believe1 and certainly at ,kiel--for
 ,i once sat at the end of that and saw 
a lot of sad ,german soldiers drilling1 
a memory which later made me understand 
7#a7 why they can be out-marched by     
,latins2 7#b7 why they impress          
travellers and civilians2 7#c7 why the  
governing class in ,germany take care to

 avoid common service2 7#d7 why there is
 no promotion from the ranks2 and 7#e7  
why their artillery is too rigid and not
 quick enough4 ,it also showed me       
something intimate and fundamental about
 the ,germans which ,tacitus never      
understood and which all our historians 
miss--they are of necessity histrionic4 
,note ,i do not say it is a vice of     
theirs4 ,it is a necessity of theirs1 an
 appetite4 ,they must see themselves on 
a stage4 ,whether they do things well or
 ill1 whether it is their excellent army
 with its ridiculous parade1 or their   
eighteenth-century sans-soucis with     
avenues and surprises1 or their national
 legends with gods in wigs and strong   
men in tights1 they must be play-actors 
to be happy and therefore to be         
efficient2 and if ,i were ,lord of      
,germany1 and desired to lead my nation 
and to be loved by them1 ,i should put  
great golden feathers on my helmet1 ,i  
should use rhetorical expressions1 spout
 monologues in public1 organize wide    

cavalry charges at reviews1 and move    
through life generally to the crashing  
of an orchestra4 ,for by doing this even
 a vulgar1 short1 and diseased man1 who 
dabbled in stocks and shares and was led
 by financiers1 could become a hero1 and
 do his nation good47  ,,lector4 ,what  
is all this8  ,,auctor4 ,it is a        
parenthesis4  ,,lector4 ,it is good to  
know the names of the strange things one
 meets with on one's travels4  ,,auctor4
 ,so ,i return to where ,i branched off1
 and tell you that the river ,po is here
 crossed by a bridge of boats4  ,it is a
 very large stream4 ,half-way across1 it
 is even a trifle uncomfortable to be so
 near the rush of the water on the      
trembling pontoons4 ,and on that day its
 speed and turbulence were emphasized by
 the falling rain4 ,for the marks of the
 rain on the water showed the rapidity  
of the current1 and the silence of its  
fall framed and enhanced the swirl of   
the great river4  ,once across1 it is a 
step up into ,piacenza--a step through  

mud and rain4 ,on my right was that     
plain where ,barbarossa received1 and   
was glorified by1 the rising life of the
 twelfth century2 there the renaissance 
of our ,europe saw the future glorious  
for the first time since the twilight of
 ,rome1 and being full of morning they  
imagined a new earth and gave it a      
,lord4 ,it was at ,roncaglia1 ,i think  
in spring1 and ,i wish ,i had been      
there4 ,for in spring even the ,lombard 
plain they say is beautiful and         
generous1 but in summer ,i know by      
experience that it is cold1 brutish1 and
 wet4  ,and so in ,piacenza it rained   
and there was mud1 till ,i came to a    
hotel called the ,moor's ,head1 in a    
very narrow street1 and entering it ,i  
discovered a curious thing3 the         
,italians live in palaces3 ,i might have
 known it4  ,they are the impoverished  
heirs of a great time2 its garments     
cling to them1 but their rooms are too  
large for the modern penury4 ,i found   
these men eating in a great corridor1 in

 a hall1 as they might do in a palace4  
,i found high1 painted ceilings and many
 things of marble1 a vast kitchen1 and  
all the apparatus of the great          
houses--at the service of a handful of  
contented1 unknown men4 ,so in ,england1
 when we have worked out our full fate1 
happier but poorer men will sit in the  
faded country-houses 7a community1 or an
 inn1 or impoverished squires71 and     
rough food will be eaten under          
mouldering great pictures1 and there    
will be offices or granaries in the     
galleries of our castles2 and where     
,lord ,saxonthorpe 7whose real name is  
,hauptstein7 now plans our policy1      
common ,englishmen will return to the   
simpler life1 and there will be dogs1   
and beer1 and catches upon winter       
evenings4 ,for ,italy also once gathered
 by artifice the wealth that was not of 
her making4  ,he was a good man1 the    
innkeeper of this palace4 ,he warmed me 
at his fire in his enormous kitchen1 and
 ,i drank ,malaga to the health of the  

cooks4 ,i ate of their food1 ,i bought a
 bottle of a new kind of sweet wine     
called ',vino ,dolce'1 and--,i took the 
road4  ,,lector4 ,and did you see       
nothing of ,piacenza8  ,,auctor4        
,nothing1 ,lector2 it was raining1 and  
there was mud4 ,i stood in front of the 
cathedral on my way out1 and watched it 
rain4 ,it rained all along the broad and
 splendid ,emilian ,way4 ,i had promised
 myself great visions of the ,roman     
soldiery passing up that eternal road2  
it still was stamped with the imperial  
mark1 but the rain washed out its       
interest1 and left me cold4 ,the        
,apennines also1 rising abruptly from   
the plain1 were to have given me        
revelations at sunset2 they gave me     
none4 ,their foothills appeared         
continually on my right1 they themselves
 were veiled4 ,and all these miles of   
road fade into the confused memory of   
that intolerable plain4 ,the night at   
,firenzuola1 the morning 7the second    
morning of this visitation7 still cold1 

still heartless1 and sodden with the    
abominable weather1 shall form no part  
of this book4  ,things grand and simple 
of their nature are possessed1 as you   
know1 of a very subtle flavour4 ,the    
larger music1 the more majestic lengths 
of verse called epics1 the exact in     
sculpture1 the classic drama1 the most  
absolute kinds of wine1 require a       
perfect harmony of circumstance for     
their appreciation4 ,whatever is strong1
 poignant1 and immediate in its effect  
is not so difficult to suit2 farce1     
horror1 rage1 or what not1 these a man  
can find in the arts1 even when his mood
 may be heavy or disturbed2 just as 7to 
take their parallel in wines7 strong    
,beaune will always rouse a man4 ,but   
that which is cousin to the immortal    
spirit1 and which has1 so to speak1 no  
colour but mere light1 that needs for   
its recognition so serene an air of     
abstraction and of content as makes its 
pleasure seem rare in this troubled     
life1 and causes us to recall it like a 

descent of the gods4  ,for who1 having  
noise around him1 can strike the table  
with pleasure at reading the            
,misanthrope1 or in mere thirst or in   
fatigue praise ,chinon wine8 ,who does  
not need for either of these perfect    
things ,recollection1 a variety of      
according conditions1 and a certain easy
 ,plenitude of the ,mind8  ,so it is    
with the majesty of ,plains1 and with   
the haunting power of their imperial    
roads4  ,all you that have had your     
souls touched at the innermost1 and have
 attempted to release yourselves in     
verse and have written trash--7and who  
know it7--be comforted4 ,you shall have 
satisfaction at last1 and you shall     
attain fame in some other               
fashion--perhaps in private theatricals 
or perhaps in journalism4 ,you will be  
granted a prevision of complete success1
 and your hearts shall be filled--but   
you must not expect to find this mood on
 the ,emilian ,way when it is raining4  
,all you that feel youth slipping past  

you and that are desolate at the        
approach of age1 be merry2 it is not    
what it looks like from in front and    
from outside4 ,there is a glory in all  
completion1 and all good endings are but
 shining transitions4 ,there will come a
 sharp moment of revelation when you    
shall bless the effect of time4 ,but    
this divine moment--- it is not on the  
,emilian ,way in the rain that you      
should seek it4  ,all you that have     
loved passionately and have torn your   
hearts asunder in disillusions1 do not  
imagine that things broken cannot be    
mended by the good angels4 ,there is a  
kind of splice called 'the long splice' 
which makes a cut rope seem what it was 
before2 it is even stronger than before1
 and can pass through a block4 ,there   
will descend upon you a blessed hour    
when you will be convinced as by a      
miracle1 and you will suddenly          
understand the redintegratio amoris     
7amoris redintegratio1 a ,latin phrase74
 ,but this hour you will not receive in 

the rain on the ,emilian ,way4  ,here   
then1 next day1 just outside a town     
called ,borgo1 past the middle of       
morning1 the rain ceased4  ,its effect  
was still upon the slippery and shining 
road1 the sky was still fast and leaden1
 when1 in a distaste for their towns1 ,i
 skirted the place by a lane that runs  
westward of the houses1 and sitting upon
 a low wall1 ,i looked up at the        
,apennines1 which were now plain above  
me1 and thought over my approaching     
passage through those hills4  ,but here 
,i must make clear by a map the mass of 
mountains which ,i was about to attempt1
 and in which ,i forded so many rivers1 
met so many strange men and beasts1 saw 
such unaccountable sights1 was          
imprisoned1 starved1 frozen1 haunted1   
delighted1 burnt up1 and finally        
refreshed in ,tuscany--in a word1 where 
,i had the most extraordinary and       
unheard-of adventures that ever         
diversified the life of man4  ,the      
straight line to ,rome runs from ,milan 

not quite through ,piacenza1 but within 
a mile or two of that city4 ,then it    
runs across the first folds of the      
,apennines1 and gradually diverges from 
the ,emilian ,way4 ,it was not possible 
to follow this part of the line exactly1
 for there was no kind of track4 ,but by
 following the ,emilian ,way for several
 miles 7as ,i had done71 and by leaving 
it at the right moment1 it was possible 
to strike the straight line again near a
 village called ,medesano4  ,now on the 
far side of the ,apennines1 beyond their
 main crest1 there happens1 most        
providentially1 to be a river called the
 ,serchio1 whose valley is fairly       
straight and points down directly to    
,rome4 ,to follow this valley would be  
practically to follow the line to ,rome1
 and it struck the ,tuscan plain not far
 from ,lucca4  ,but to get from the     
,emilian ,way over the eastern slope of 
the ,apennines' main ridge and crest1 to
 where the ,serchio rises on the western
 side1 is a very difficult matter4 ,the 

few roads across the ,apennines cut my  
track at right angles1 and were         
therefore useless4 ,in order to strike  
the watershed at the sources of the     
,serchio it was necessary to go         
obliquely across a torrent and four     
rivers 7the ,taro1 the ,parma1 the      
,enza1 and the ,secchia71 and to climb  
the four spurs that divided them2       
crossing each nearer to the principal   
chain as ,i advanced until1 after the   
,secchia1 the next climb would be that  
of the central crest itself1 on the far 
side of which ,i should find the        
,serchio valley4  ,perhaps in places    
roads might correspond to this track4   
,certainly the bulk of it would be      
mule-paths or rough gullies--how much ,i
 could not tell4 ,the only way ,i could 
work it with my wretched map was to note
 the names of towns' or hamlets more or 
less on the line1 and to pick my way    
from one to another4 ,i wrote them down 
as follows3 ,fornovo1 ,calestano1       
,tizzano1 ,colagna--the last at the foot

 of the final pass4 ,the distance to    
that pass as the crow flies was only a  
little more than thirty miles4 ,so      
exceedingly difficult was the task that 
it took me over two days4 ,till ,i      
reached ,fornovo beyond the ,taro1 ,i   
was not really in the hills4  ,by       
country roads1 picking my way1 ,i made  
that afternoon for ,medesano4 ,the lanes
 were tortuous2 they crossed continual  
streams that ran from the hills above1  
full and foaming after the rain1 and    
frothing with the waste of the          
mountains4 ,i had not gone two miles    
when the sky broke2 not four when a new 
warmth began to steal over the air and a
 sense of summer to appear in the earth 
about me4 ,with the greatest rapidity   
the unusual weather that had accompanied
 me from ,milan was changing into the   
normal brilliancy of the south2 but it  
was too late for the sun to tell1 though
 he shone from time to time through     
clouds that were now moving eastwards   
more perceptibly and shredding as they  

moved4  ,quite tired and desiring food1 
keen also for rest after those          
dispiriting days1 ,i stopped1 before    
reaching ,medesano1 at an inn where     
three ways met2 and there ,i purposed to
 eat and spend the night1 for the next  
day1 it was easy to see1 would be       
tropical1 and ,i should rise before dawn
 if ,i was to save the heat4 ,i entered4
  ,the room within was of red wood4 ,it 
had two tables1 a little counter with a 
vast array of bottles1 a woman behind   
the counter1 and a small1 nervous man in
 a strange hat serving4 ,and all the    
little place was filled and crammed with
 a crowd of perhaps twenty men1         
gesticulating1 shouting1 laughing1      
quarrelling1 and one very big man was   
explaining to another the virtues of his
 knife2 and all were already amply      
satisfied with wine4 ,for in this part  
men do not own1 but are paid wages1 so  
that they waste the little they have4   
,i saluted the company1 and walking up  
to the counter was about to call for    

wine4 ,they had all become silent1 when 
one man asked me a question in ,italian4
 ,i did not understand it1 and attempted
 to say so1 when another asked the same 
question2 then six or seven--and there  
was a hubbub4 ,and out of the hubbub ,i 
heard a similar sentence rising all the 
time4 ,to this day ,i do not know what  
it meant1 but ,i thought 7and think7 it 
meant ',he is a ,venetian1' or ',he is  
the ,venetian4' ,something in my broken 
language had made them think this1 and  
evidently the ,venetians 7or a          
,venetian7 were 7or was7 gravely        
unpopular here4 ,why1 ,i cannot tell4   
,perhaps the ,venetians were blacklegs4 
,but evidently a ,venetian1 or the whole
 ,venetian nation1 had recently done    
them a wrong4  ,at any rate one very    
dark-haired man put his face close up to
 mine1 unlipped his teeth1 and began a  
great noise of cursing and threatening1 
and this so angered me that it          
overmastered my fear1 which had till    
then been considerable4 ,i remembered   

also a rule which a wise man once told  
me for guidance1 and it is this3 ',god  
disposes of victory1 but1 as the world  
is made1 when men smile1 smile2 when men
 laugh1 laugh2 when men hit1 hit2 when  
men shout1 shout2 and when men curse1   
curse you also1 my son1 and in doubt let
 them always take the first move4'  ,i  
say my fear had been considerable1      
especially of the man with the knife1   
but ,i got too angry to remember it1 and
 advancing my face also to this         
insulter's ,i shouted1 ',dio ,ladro6    
,dios di mi alma6 ,sanguinamento6       
,nombre di ,dios6 ,che8 ,che vole8 ,non 
sono da ,venezia io6 ,sono de ,francia6 
,je m'en fiche da vestra ,venezia6 ,non 
se vede che non parlar vestra lingua8   
,che sono forestiere8' and so forth4 ,at
 this they evidently divided into two   
parties1 and all began raging amongst   
themselves1 and some at me1 while the   
others argued louder and louder that    
there was an error4  ,the little        
innkeeper caught my arm over the        

counter1 and ,i turned round sharply1   
thinking he was doing me a wrong1 but ,i
 saw him nodding and winking at me1 and 
he was on my side4 ,this was probably   
because he was responsible if anything  
happened1 and he alone could not fly    
from the police4  ,he made them a speech
 which1 for all ,i know1 may have been  
to the effect that he had known and     
loved me from childhood1 or may have    
been that he knew me for one ,jacques of
 ,turin1 or may have been any other lie4
 ,whatever lie it was1 it appeased them4
 ,their anger went down to a murmur1    
just like soda-water settling down into 
a glass4  ,i stood wine2 we drank4 ,i   
showed them my book1 and as my pencil   
needed sharpening the large man lent me 
his knife for courtesy4 ,when ,i got it 
in my hand ,i saw plainly that it was no
 knife for stabbing with2 it was a      
pruning-knife1 and would have bit the   
hand that cherished it 7as they say of  
serpents74 ,on the other hand1 it would 
have been a good knife for ripping1 and 

passable at a slash4 ,you must not      
expect too much of one article4  ,i took
 food1 but ,i saw that in this parish it
 was safer to sleep out of doors than   
in2 so in the falling evening1 but not  
yet sunset1 ,i wandered on1 not at a    
pace but looking for shelter1 and ,i    
found at last just what ,i wanted3 a    
little shed1 with dried ferns 7as it    
seemed7 strewed in a corner1 a few old  
sacks1 and a broken piece of            
machinery--though this last was of no   
use to me4  ,i thought3 ',it will be    
safe here1 for ,i shall rise before day1
 and the owner1 if there is one1 will   
not disturb me4'  ,the air was fairly   
warm4 ,the place quite dry4 ,the open   
side looked westward and a little south4
  ,the sun had now set behind the       
,apennines1 and there was a deep        
effulgence in the sky4 ,i drank a little
 wine1 lit a pipe1 and watched the west 
in silence4  ,whatever was left of the  
great pall from which all that rain had 
fallen1 now was banked up on the further

 side of heaven in toppling great clouds
 that caught the full glow of evening4  
,the great clouds stood up in heaven1   
separate1 like persons2 and no wind     
blew2 but everything was full of        
evening4 ,i worshipped them so far as it
 is permitted to worship inanimate      
things4  ,they domed into the pure light
 of the higher air1 inviolable4 ,they   
seemed halted in the presence of a      
commanding majesty who ranked them all  
in order4  ,this vision filled me with a
 large calm which a travelled man may   
find on coming to his home1 or a learner
 in the communion of wise men4 ,repose1 
certitude1 and1 as it were1 a           
premonition of glory occupied my spirit4
  ,before it was yet quite dark ,i had  
made a bed out of the dry bracken1      
covered myself with the sacks and       
cloths1 and very soon ,i fell asleep1   
still thinking of the shapes of clouds  
and of the power of ,god4  ,next morning
 it was as ,i had thought4 ,going out   
before it was fully light1 a dense mist 

all around and a clear sky showed what  
the day was to be4 ,as ,i reached       
,medesano the sun rose1 and in          
half-an-hour the air was instinct with  
heat2 within an hour it was blinding4   
,an early ,mass in the church below the 
village prepared my day1 but as ,i took 
coffee afterwards in a little inn1 and  
asked about crossing the ,taro to       
,fornovo--my first point--to my         
astonishment they shook their heads4    
,the ,taro was impassable4  ,why could  
it not be crossed8 ,my very broken      
language made it difficult for me to    
understand4 ,they talked oframi1 which  
,i thought meant oars2 but rami1 had ,i 
known it1 meant the separate branches or
 streams whereby these torrential rivers
 of ,italy flow through their arid beds4
  ,i drew a boat and asked if one could 
not cross in that 7for ,i was a         
northerner1 and my idea of a river was a
 river with banks and water in between71
 but they laughed and said ',no4' ,then 
,i made the motion of swimming4 ,they   

said it was impossible1 and one man hung
 his head to indicate drowning4 ,it was 
serious4 ,they said to-morrow1 or rather
 next day1 one might do it4  ,finally1 a
 boy that stood by said he remembered a 
man who knew the river better than any  
one1 and he1 if any one could1 would get
 me across4 ,so ,i took the boy with me 
up the road1 and as we went ,i saw1     
parallel to the road1 a wide plain of   
dazzling rocks and sand1 and beyond it1 
shining and silhouetted like an ,arab   
village1 the group of houses that was   
,fornovo4  ,this plain was their sort of
 river in these hills4 ,the boy said    
that sometimes it was full and a mile   
wide1 sometimes it dwindled into dirty  
pools4 ,now1 as ,i looked1 a few thin   
streams seemed to wind through it1 and  
,i could not understand the danger4     
,after a mile or two we came to a spot  
in the road where a patch of brushwood  
only separated us from the river-bed4   
,here the boy bade me wait1 and asked a 
group of peasants whether the guide was 

in2 they said they thought so1 and some 
went up into the hillside with the boy  
to fetch him1 others remained with me1  
looking at the river-bed and at ,fornovo
 beyond1 shaking their heads1 and saying
 it had not been done for days4 ,but ,i 
did not understand whether the          
rain-freshet had passed and was draining
 away1 or whether it had not yet come   
down from beyond1 and ,i waited for the 
guide4  ,they brought him at last down  
from his hut among the hills4 ,he came  
with great strides1 a kindly-looking    
man1 extremely tall and thin1 and with  
very pale eyes4 ,he smiled4 ,they       
pointed me out to him1 and we struck the
 bargain by holding up three fingers    
each for three lira1 and nodding4 ,then 
he grasped his long staff and ,i mine1  
we bade farewell to the party1 and      
together we went in silence through     
thick brushwood down towards the broad  
river-bed4 ,the stones of it glared like
 the sands of ,africa2 ,fornovo baked   
under the sun all white and black2      

between us was this broad plain of      
parched shingle and rocks that could1 in
 a night1 become one enormous river1 or 
dwindle to a chain of stagnant ponds4   
,to-day some seven narrow streams       
wandered in the expanse1 and again they 
seemed so easy to cross that again ,i   
wondered at the need of a guide4  ,we   
came to the edge of the first1 and ,i   
climbed on the guide's back4 ,he went   
bare-legged into the stream deeper and  
deeper till my feet1 though held up     
high1 just touched the water2 then      
laboriously he climbed the further      
shore1 and ,i got down upon dry land4   
,it had been but twenty yards or so1 and
 he knew the place well4 ,i had seen1 as
 we crossed1 what a torrent this first  
little stream was1 and ,i now knew the  
difficulty and understood the warnings  
of the inn4  ,the second branch was     
impassable4 ,we followed it up for      
nearly a mile to where 'an island' 7that
 is1 a mass of high land that must have 
been an island in flood-time1 and that  

had on it an old brown village7 stood   
above the white bed of the river4 ,just 
at this 'island' my guide found a ford4 
,and the way he found it is worth       
telling4 ,he taught me the trick1 and it
 is most useful to men who wander alone 
in mountains4  ,you take a heavy stone1 
how heavy you must learn to judge1 for a
 more rapid current needs a heavier     
stone2 but say about ten pounds4 ,this  
you lob gently into mid-stream4 ,how1 it
 is impossible to describe1 but when you
 do it it is quite easy to see that in  
about four feet of water1 or less1 the  
stone splashes quite differently from   
the way it does in five feet or more4   
,it is a sure test1 and one much easier 
to acquire by practice than to write    
about4 ,to teach myself this trick ,i   
practised it throughout my journey in   
these wilds4  ,having found a ford then1
 he again took me on his shoulders1 but1
 in mid-stream1 the water being up to   
his breast1 his foot slipped on a stone 
7all the bed beneath was rolling and    

churning in the torrent71 and in a      
moment we had both fallen4 ,he pulled me
 up straight by his side1 and then      
indeed1 overwhelmed in the rush of      
water1 it was easy to understand how the
 ,taro could drown men1 and why the     
peasants dreaded these little ribbons of
 water4  ,the current rushed and foamed 
past me1 coming nearly to my neck2 and  
it was icy cold4 ,one had to lean       
against it1 and the water so took away  
one's weight that at any moment one     
might have slipped and been carried     
away4 ,the guide1 a much taller man     
7indeed he was six foot three or so71   
supported me1 holding my arm3 and again 
in a moment we reached dry land4  ,after
 that adventure there was no need for   
carrying4 ,the third1 fourth1 fifth1 and
 sixth branches were easily fordable4   
,the seventh was broad and deep1 and ,i 
found it a heavy matter2 nor should ,i  
have waded it but for my guide1 for the 
water bore against me like a man        
wrestling1 and it was as cold as        

,acheron1 the river of the dead4 ,then  
on the further shore1 and warning him   
7in ,lingua ,franca7 of his peril1 ,i   
gave him his wage1 and he smiled and    
thanked me1 and went back1 choosing his 
plans at leisure4  ,thus did ,i cross   
the river ,taro2 a danger for men4      
,where ,i landed was a poor man sunning 
himself4 ,he rose and walked with me to 
,fornovo4 ,he knew the guide4  ',he is a
 good man1' he said to me of this       
friend4 ',he is as good as a little     
piece of bread4'  ',e vero1' ,i         
answered2 'e ,san ,cristophero4'  ,this 
pleased the peasant2 and indeed it was  
true4 ,for the guide's business was     
exactly that of ,st ,christopher1 except
 that the ,saint took no money1 and     
lived1 ,i suppose1 on air4  ,and so to  
,fornovo2 and the heat blinded and      
confused1 and the air was alive with    
flies4 ,but the sun dried me at once1   
and ,i pressed up the road because ,i   
needed food4 ,after ,i had eaten in this
 old town ,i was preparing to make for  

,calestano and to cross the first high  
spur of the ,apennines that separated me
 from it1 when ,i saw1 as ,i left the   
place1 a very old church2 and ,i stayed 
a moment and looked at carvings which   
were in no order1 but put in pell-mell1 
evidently chosen from some older        
building4 ,they were barbaric1 but one  
could see that they stood for the last  
judgement of man1 and there were the    
good looking foolish1 and there were the
 wicked being boiled by devils in a pot1
 and what was most pleasing was one     
devil who with great joy was carrying   
off a rich man's gold in a bag4 ,but now
 we are too wise to believe in such     
follies1 and when we die we take our    
wealth with us2 in the ninth century    
they had no way of doing this1 for no   
system of credit yet obtained4  ,then   
leaving the main road which runs to     
,pontremoli and at last to ,spezzia1 my 
lane climbed up into the hills and      
ceased1 little by little1 to be even a  
lane4 ,it became from time to time the  

bed of a stream1 then nothing1 then a   
lane again1 and at last1 at the head of 
the glen1 ,i confessed to having lost   
it2 but ,i noted a great rock or peak   
above me for a landmark1 and ,i said to 
myself--  ',no matter4 ,the wall of this
 glen before me is obviously the ridge  
of the spur2 the rock must be left to   
the north1 and ,i have but to cross the 
ridge by its guidance4' ,by this time1  
however1 the heat overcame me1 and1 as  
it was already afternoon1 and as ,i had 
used so much of the preceding night for 
my journey1 ,i remembered the wise      
custom of hot countries and lay down to 
sleep4  ,i slept but a little while1 yet
 when ,i woke the air was cooler4 ,i    
climbed the side of the glen at random1 
and on the summit ,i found1 to my       
disgust1 a road4 ,what road could it be8
 ,to this day ,i do not know4 ,perhaps  
,i had missed my way and struck the main
 highway again4 ,perhaps 7it is often so
 in the ,apennines7 it was a road       
leading nowhere4 ,at any rate ,i        

hesitated1 and looked back to judge my  
direction4  ,it was a happy accident4 ,i
 was now some #bjjj feet above the      
,taro4 ,there1 before me1 stood the high
 strange rock that ,i had watched from  
below2 all around it and below me was   
the glen or cup of bare hills1 slabs1   
and slopes of sand and stone calcined in
 the sun1 and1 beyond these near things1
 all the plain of ,lombardy was at my   
feet4  ,it was this which made it worth 
while to have toiled up that steep wall1
 and even to have lost my way--to see a 
hundred miles of the great flat         
stretched out before me3 all the        
kingdoms of the world4  ,nor was this   
all4 ,there were sharp white clouds on  
the far northern horizon1 low down above
 the uncertain edge of the world4 ,i    
looked again and found they did not     
move4 ,then ,i knew they were the ,alps4
  ,believe it or not1 ,i was looking    
back to a place of days before3 over how
 many1 many miles of road6 ,the rare1   
white peaks and edges could not deceive 

me2 they still stood to the sunlight1   
and sent me from that vast distance the 
memory of my passage1 when their snows  
had seemed interminable and their height
 so monstrous2 their cold such a cloak  
of death4 ,now they were as far off as  
childhood1 and ,i saw them for the last 
time4  ,all this ,i drew4 ,then finding 
a post directing me to a side road for  
,calestano1 ,i followed it down and down
 into the valley beyond2 and up the     
walls of this second valley as the      
evening fell ,i heard the noise of the  
water running1 as the ,taro had run1 a  
net of torrents from the melting snows  
far off4 ,these streams ,i soon saw     
below me1 winding 7as those of the ,taro
 had wound7 through a floor of dry      
shingle and rock2 but when my road      
ceased suddenly some hundreds of feet   
above the bed of the river1 and when1   
full of evening1 ,i had scrambled down  
through trees to the brink of the water1
 ,i found ,i should have to repeat what 
,i had done that morning and to ford    

these streams4 ,for there was no track  
of any kind and no bridge1 and          
,calestano stood opposite me1 a purple  
cluster of houses in the dusk against   
the farther mountain side4  ,very       
warily1 lobbing stones as ,i had been   
taught1 and following up and down each  
branch to find a place1 ,i forded one by
 one the six little cold and violent    
rivers1 and reaching the farther shore1 
,i reached also1 as ,i thought1 supper1 
companionship1 and a bed4  ,but it is   
not in this simple way that human life  
is arranged4 ,what awaited me in        
,calestano was ill favour1 a prison1    
release1 base flattery1 and a very tardy
 meal4  ,it is our duty to pity all men4
 ,it is our duty to pity those who are  
in prison4 ,it is our duty to pity those
 who are not in prison4 ,how much more  
is it the duty of a ,christian man to   
pity the rich who cannot ever get into  
prison8 ,these indeed ,i do now         
specially pity1 and extend to them my   
commiseration4  ,what6 ,never even to   

have felt the grip of the policeman2 to 
have watched his bold suspicious eye2 to
 have tried to make a good show under   
examination444 never to have heard the  
bolt grinding in the lock1 and never to 
have looked round at the cleanly        
simplicity of a cell8 ,then what        
emotions have you had1 unimprisonable   
rich2 or what do you know of active     
living and of adventure8  ,it was after 
drinking some wine and eating macaroni  
and bread at a poor inn1 the only one in
 the place1 and after having to shout at
 the ill-natured hostess 7and to try    
twenty guesses before ,i made her       
understand that ,i wanted cheese71 it   
was when ,i had thus eaten and shouted1 
and had gone over the way to drink      
coffee and to smoke in a little cafe1   
that my adventure befell me4  ,in the   
inn there had been a fat jolly-looking  
man and two official-looking people with
 white caps dining at another table4 ,i 
had taken no notice of them at the time4
 ,but as ,i sat smoking and thinking in 

the little cafe1 which was bright and   
full of people1 ,i noticed a first      
danger-signal when ,i was told sullenly 
that 'they had no bed2 they thought ,i  
could get none in the town'3 then1      
suddenly1 these two men in white caps   
came in1 and they arrested me with as   
much ease as you or ,i would hold a     
horse4  ,a moment later there came in   
two magnificent fellows1 gendarmes1 with
 swords and cocked hats1 and moustaches 
a l',abd el ,kader1 as we used to say in
 the old days2 these four1 the two      
gendarmes and two policemen1 sat down   
opposite me on chairs and began         
cross-questioning me in ,italian1 a     
language in which ,i was not proficient4
 ,i so far understood them as to know   
that they were asking for my papers4    
',niente6' said ,i1 and poured out on   
the table a card-case1 a sketch-book1   
two pencils1 a bottle of wine1 a cup1 a 
piece of bread1 a scrap of ,french      
newspaper1 an old ,secolo1 a needle1    
some thread1 and a flute--but no        

passport4  ,they looked in the card-case
 and found #gc lira2 that is1 not quite 
three pounds4 ,they examined the        
sketch-book critically1 as behoved      
southerners who are mostly of an        
artistic bent3 but they found no        
passport4 ,they questioned me again1 and
 as ,i picked about for words to reply1 
the smaller 7the policeman1 a man with a
 face like a fox7 shouted that he had   
heard me speaking ,italian currently in 
the inn1 and that my hesitation was a   
blind4  ,this lie so annoyed me that ,i 
said angrily in ,french 7which ,i made  
as southern as possible to suit them73  
',you lie3 and you can be punished for  
such lies1 since you are an official4'  
,for though the police are the same in  
all countries1 and will swear black is  
white1 and destroy men for a song1 yet  
where there is a droit administratif-   
that is1 where the ,revolution has made 
things tolerable--you are much surer of 
punishing your policeman1 and he is much
 less able to do you a damage than in   

,england or ,america2 for he counts as  
an official and is under a more public  
discipline and responsibility if he     
exceeds his powers4  ,then ,i added1    
speaking distinctly1 ',i can speak      
,french and ,latin4 ,have you a priest  
in ,calestano1 and does he know ,latin8'
  ,this was a fine touch4 ,they winced1 
and parried it by saying that the       
,sindaco knew ,french4 ,then they led me
 away to their barracks while they      
fetched the ,sindaco1 and so ,i was     
imprisoned4  ,but not for long4 ,very   
soon ,i was again following up the      
street1 and we came to the house of the 
,sindaco or ,mayor4 ,there he was1 an   
old man with white hair1 ,god bless him1
 playing cards with his son and         
daughter4 ,to him therefore1 as         
understanding ,french1 ,i was bidden    
address myself4 ,i told him in clear and
 exact idiom that his policemen were    
fools1 that his town was a              
rabbit-warren1 and his prison the only  
cleanly thing in it2 that half-a-dozen  

telegrams to places ,i could indicate   
would show where ,i had passed2 that ,i 
was a common tourist1 not even an artist
 7as my sketch-book showed71 and that my
 cards gave my exact address and        
description4  ,but the ,sindaco1 the    
,french-speaking ,sindaco1 understood me
 not in the least1 and it seemed a      
wicked thing in me to expose him in his 
old age1 so ,i waited till he spoke4 ,he
 spoke a word common to all languages1  
and one he had just caught from my lips4
  ',tourist-e8' he said4  ,i nodded4    
,then he told them to let me go4 ,it was
 as simple as that2 and to this day1 ,i 
suppose1 he passes for a very bilingual 
,mayor4 ,he did me a service1 and ,i am 
willing to believe that in his youth he 
smacked his lips over the subtle flavour
 of ,voltaire1 but ,i fear to-day he    
would have a poor time with ,anatole    
,france4  ,what a contrast was there    
between the hour when ,i had gone out of
 the cafe a prisoner and that when ,i   
returned rejoicing with a crowd about   

me1 proclaiming my innocence1 and       
shouting one to another that ,i was a   
tourist and had seventy-three lira on my
 person6 ,the landlady smiled and bowed3
 she had before refused me a bed6 ,the  
men at the tables made me a god6 ,nor   
did ,i think them worse for this4 ,why  
should ,i8 ,a man unknown1 unkempt1     
unshaven1 in tatters1 covered with weeks
 of travel and mud1 and in a suit that  
originally cost not ten shillings2      
having slept in leaves and ferns1 and   
forest places1 crosses a river at dusk  
and enters a town furtively1 not by the 
road4 ,he is a foreigner2 he carries a  
great club4 ,is it not much wiser to    
arrest such a man8 ,why yes1 evidently4 
,and when you have arrested him1 can you
 do more than let him go without proof1 
on his own word8 ,hardly6  ,thus ,i     
loved the people of ,calestano1         
especially for this strange adventure   
they had given me2 and next day1 having 
slept in a human room1 ,i went at       
sunrise up the mountain sides beyond and

 above their town1 and so climbed by a  
long cleft the second spur of the       
,apennines3 the spur that separated me  
from the third river1 the ,parma4 ,and  
my goal above the ,parma 7when ,i should
 have crossed it7 was a place marked in 
the map ',tizzano'4 ,to climb this      
second spur1 to reach and cross the     
,parma in the vale below1 to find       
,tizzano1 ,i left ,calestano on that    
fragrant morning2 and having passed and 
drawn a little hamlet called ,frangi1   
standing on a crag1 ,i went on up the   
steep vale and soon reached the top of  
the ridge1 which here dips a little and 
allows a path to cross over to the      
southern side4  ,it is the custom of    
many1 when they get over a ridge1 to    
begin singing4 ,nor did ,i fail1 early  
as was the hour1 to sing in passing this
 the second of my ,apennine summits4 ,i 
sang easily with an open throat         
everything that ,i could remember in    
praise of joy2 and ,i did not spare the 
choruses of my songs1 being even at     

pains to imitate 7when they were double7
 the various voices of either part4     
,now1 so much of the ,englishman was in 
me that1 coming round a corner of rock  
from which one first sees ,beduzzo      
hanging on its ledge 7as you know71 and 
finding round this corner a peasant     
sitting at his ease1 ,i was ashamed4    
,for ,i did not like to be overheard    
singing fantastic songs4 ,but he1 used  
to singing as a solitary pastime1       
greeted me1 and we walked along         
together1 pointing out to each other the
 glories of the world before us and     
exulting in the morning4 ,it was his    
business to show me things and their    
names3 the great ,mountain of the       
,pilgrimage to the ,south1 the strange  
rock of ,castel-,nuovo2 in the far haze 
the plain of ,parma2 and ,tizzano on its
 high hill1 the ridge straight before   
me4 ,he also would tell me the name in  
,italian of the things to hand--my      
boots1 my staff1 my hat2 and ,i told him
 their names in ,french1 all of which he

 was eager to learn4  ,we talked of the 
way people here tilled and owned ground1
 of the dangers in the hills1 and of the
 happiness of lonely men4 ,but if you   
ask how we understood each other1 ,i    
will explain the matter to you4  ,in    
,italy1 in the ,apennines of the north1 
there seem to be three strata of        
language4 ,in the valleys the ,italian  
was pure1 resonant1 and foreign to me4  
,there dwell the townsmen1 and they deal
 down river with the plains4  ,half-way 
up 7as at ,frangi1 at ,beduzzo1 at      
,tizzano7 ,i began to understand them4  
,they have the nasal 'n'2 they clip     
their words4 ,on the summits1 at last1  
they speak like northerners1 and ,i was 
easily understood1 for they said not    
'vino' but 'vin'2 not 'duo' but 'du'1   
and so forth4 ,they are the ,gauls of   
the hills4 ,i told them so1 and they    
were very pleased4  ,then ,i and my     
peasant parted1 but as one should never 
leave a man without giving him something
 to show by way of token on the ,day of 

,judgement1 ,i gave this man a little   
picture of ,milan1 and bade him keep it 
for my sake4  ,so he went his way1 and  
,i mine1 and the last thing he said to  
me was about a 'molinar'1 but ,i did not
 know what that meant4  ,when ,i had    
taken a cut down the mountain1 and      
discovered a highroad at the bottom1 ,i 
saw that the river before me needed     
fording1 like all the rest2 and as my   
map showed me there was no bridge for   
many miles down1 ,i cast about to cross 
directly1 if possible on some man's     
shoulders4  ,i met an old woman with a  
heap of grass on her back2 ,i pointed to
 the river1 and said 7in ,lingua        
,franca7 that ,i wished to cross4 ,she  
again used that word 'molinar'1 and ,i  
had an inkling that it meant 'miller'4  
,i said to myself--  ',where there is a 
miller there is a mill4 ,for ,ubi       
,petrus ibi ,ecclesia4 ,where there is a
 mill there is water2 a mill must have  
motive power3' 7a7 ,i must get near the 
stream2 7b7 ,i must look out for the    

noise and aspect of a mill4  ,i         
therefore 7thanking the grass-bearing   
woman7 went right over the fields till  
,i saw a great1 slow mill-wheel against 
a house1 and a sad man standing looking 
at it as though it were the ,procession 
of ,god's ,providence4 ,he was thinking 
of many things4 ,i tapped him on the    
shoulder 7whereat he started7 and spoke 
the great word of that valley1          
'molinar'4 ,it opened all the gates of  
his soul4 ,he smiled at me like a man   
grown young again1 and1 beckoning me to 
follow1 led radiantly up the sluice to  
where it drew from the river4  ,here    
three men were at work digging a better 
entry for the water4 ,one was an old1   
happy man in spectacles1 the second a   
young man with stilts in his hands1 the 
third was very tall and narrow2 his face
 was sad1 and he was of the kind that   
endure all things and conquer4 ,i said  
',molinar8'' ,i had found him4  ,to the 
man who had brought me ,i gave #ej c41  
and so innocent and good are these      

people that he said ',pourquoi8' or     
words like it1 and ,i said it was       
necessary4 ,then ,i said to the molinar1
 ',quanta8' and he1 holding up a tall   
finger1 said ',una ,lira'4 ,the young   
man leapt on to his stilts1 the molinar 
stooped down and ,i got upon his        
shoulders1 and we all attempted the many
 streams of the river ,parma1 in which  
,i think ,i should by myself have       
drowned4  ,i say advisedly--',i should  
have been drowned4' ,these upper rivers 
of the hills run high and low according 
to storms and to the melting of the     
snows4  ,the river of ,parma 7for this  
torrent at last fed ,parma7 was higher  
than the rest4  ,even the molinar1 the  
god of that valley1 had to pick his way 
carefully1 and the young man on stilts  
had to go before1 much higher than      
mortal men1 and up above the water4 ,i  
could see him as he went1 and ,i could  
see that1 to tell the truth1 there was a
 ford--a rare thing in upper waters1    
because in the torrent-sources of rivers

 either the upper waters run over       
changeless rocks or else over gravel and
 sand4 ,now if they run over rocks they 
have their isolated shallow places1     
which any man may find1 and their       
deep--evident by the still and          
mysterious surface1 where fish go round 
and round in the hollows2 but no true   
ford continuous from side to side4 ,so  
it is in ,scotland4 ,and if they run    
over gravel and sand1 then with every   
storm or 'spate' they shift and change4 
,but here by some accident there        
ran--perhaps a shelf or rock1 perhaps a 
ruin of a ,roman bridge--something at   
least that was deep enough and solid    
enough to be a true ford--and that we   
followed4  ,the molinar--even the       
molinar--was careful of his way4 ,twice 
he waited1 waist high1 while the man on 
stilts before us suddenly lost ground   
and plunged to his feet4 ,once1 crossing
 a small branch 7for the river here1    
like all these rivers1 runs in many arms
 over the dry gravel71 it seemed there  

was no foothold and we had to cast up   
and down4 ,whenever we found dry land1  
,i came off the molinar's back to rest  
him1 and when he took the water again ,i
 mounted again4 ,so we passed the many  
streams1 and stood at last on the       
,tizzanian side4 ,then ,i gave a lira to
 the molinar1 and to his companion on   
stilts #ej c41 who said1 ',what is this 
for8' and ,i said1 ',you also helped4'  
,the molinar then1 with gesticulations  
and expression of the eyes1 gave me to  
understand that for this #ej c4 the     
stilt-man would take me up to ,tizzano  
on the high ridge and show me the path  
up the ridge2 so the stilt-man turned to
 me and said1 ',andiamo' which means    
',allons'4 ,but when the ,italians say  
',andiamo' they are less harsh than the 
northern ,french who say ',allans'2 for 
the northern ,french have three troubles
 in the blood4  ,they are fighters2 they
 will for ever be seeking the perfect   
state1 and they love furiously4 ,hence  
they ferment twice over1 like wine      

subjected to movement and breeding      
acidity4 ,therefore is it that when they
 say ',allons' it is harsher than       
',andiamo'4 ,my ,italian said to me     
genially1 ',andiamo'4  ,the ,catholic   
,church makes men4 ,by which ,i do not  
mean boasters and swaggerers1 nor       
bullies nor ignorant fools1 who1 finding
 themselves comfortable1 think that     
their comfort will be a boon to others1 
and attempt 7with singular unsuccess7 to
 force it on the world2 but men1 human  
beings1 different from the beasts1      
capable of firmness and discipline and  
recognition2 accepting death2 tenacious4
 ,of her effects the most gracious is   
the character of the ,irish and of these
 ,italians4 ,of such also some day she  
may make soldiers4  ,have you ever      
noticed that all the ,catholic ,church  
does is thought beautiful and lovable   
until she comes out into the open1 and  
then suddenly she is found by her       
enemies 7which are the seven capital    
sins1 and the four sins calling to      

heaven for vengeance7 to be hateful and 
grinding8 ,so it is2 and it is the fine 
irony of her present renovation that    
those who were for ever belauding her   
pictures1 and her saints1 and her       
architecture1 as we praise things dead1 
they are the most angered by her        
appearance on this modern field all     
armed1 just as she was1 with works and  
art and songs1 sometimes superlative1   
often vulgar4 ,note you1 she is still   
careless of art or songs1 as she has    
always been4 ,she lays her foundations  
in something other1 which something     
other our moderns hate4 ,yet out of that
 something other came the art and song  
of the ,middle ,ages4 ,and what art or  
songs have you8 ,she is ,europe and all 
our past4 ,she is returning4 ,andiamo4  
,,lector4 ,but ,mr 7deleted by the      
,censor7 does not think so8  ,,auctor4  
,i last saw him supping at the ,savoy4  
,andiamo4  ,we went up the hill together
 over a burnt land1 but shaded with     
trees4 ,it was very hot4 ,i could       

scarcely continue1 so fast did my       
companion go1 and so much did the heat  
oppress me4  ,we passed a fountain at   
which oxen drank1 and there ,i supped up
 cool water from the spout1 but he      
wagged his finger before his face to    
tell me that this was an error under a  
hot sun4  ,we went on and met two men   
driving cattle up the path between the  
trees4  ,these ,i soon found to be      
talking of prices and markets with my   
guide4 ,for it was market-day4 ,as we   
came up at last on to the little town--a
 little1 little town like a nest1 and   
all surrounded with walls1 and a castle 
in it and a church--we found a thousand 
beasts all lowing and answering each    
other along the highroad1 and on into   
the market square through the gate4     
,there my guide led me into a large     
room1 where a great many peasants were  
eating soup with macaroni in it1 and    
some few1 meat4 ,but ,i was too         
exhausted to eat meat1 so ,i supped up  
my broth and then began diapephradizing 

on my fingers to show the great         
innkeeper what ,i wanted4  ,i first     
pulled up the macaroni out of the dish1 
and said1 ,fromagio1 ,pommodoro1 by     
which ,i meant cheese--tomato4 ,he then 
said he knew what ,i meant1 and brought 
me that spaghetti so treated1 which is a
 dish for a king1 a cosmopolitan        
traitor1 an oppressor of the poor1 a    
usurer1 or any other rich man1 but there
 is no spaghetti in the place to which  
such men go1 whereas these peasants will
 continue to enjoy it in heaven4  ,i    
then pulled out my bottle of wine1 drank
 what was left out of the neck 7by way  
of sign71 and putting it down said1     
',tale1 tantum1 vino rosso4' ,my guide  
also said many things which probably    
meant that ,i was a rich man1 who threw 
his money about by the sixpence4 ,so the
 innkeeper went through a door and      
brought back a bottle all corked and    
sealed1 and said on his fingers1 and    
with his mouth and eyes1 ',,this ,,kind 
,,of ,,wine ,,is ,,something ,,very     

,,special4'  ,only in the foolish cities
 do men think it a fine thing to appear 
careless of money4 ,so ,i1 very narrowly
 watching him out of half-closed eyes1  
held up my five fingers interrogatively1
 and said1 ',cinquante8' meaning ',dare 
you ask fivepence8'  ,at which he and   
all the peasants around1 even including 
my guide1 laughed aloud as at an        
excellent joke1 and said1 ',cinquante1  
,ho6 ho6' and dug each other in the     
ribs4 ,but the innkeeper of ,tizzano    
,val ,parmense said in ,italian a number
 of things which meant that ,i could but
 be joking1 and added 7in passing7 that 
a lira made it a kind of gift to me4 ,a 
lira was1 as it were1 but a token to    
prove that it had changed hands3 a      
registration fee3 a matter of record2 at
 a lira it was pure charity4 ,then ,i   
said1 ',soixante ,dix8' which meant     
nothing to him1 so ,i held up seven     
fingers2 he waved his hand about        
genially1 and said that as ,i was       
evidently a good fellow1 a traveller1   

and as anyhow he was practically giving 
me the wine1 he would make it ninepence2
 it was hardly worth his while to       
stretch out his hand for so little      
money4 ,so then ,i pulled out #hj c4 in 
coppers1 and said1 ',tutto'1 which means
 'all'4 ,then he put the bottle before  
me1 took the money1 and an immense      
clamour rose from all those who had been
 watching the scene1 and they applauded 
it as a ratified bargain4 ,and this is  
the way in which bargains were struck of
 old time in these hills when your      
fathers and mine lived and shivered in a
 cave1 hunted wolves1 and bargained with
 clubs only4  ,so this being settled1   
and ,i eager for the wine1 wished it to 
be opened1 especially to stand drink to 
my guide4 ,the innkeeper was in another 
room4  ,the guide was too courteous to  
ask for a corkscrew1 and ,i did not know
 the ,italian for a corkscrew4  ,i      
pointed to the cork1 but all ,i got out 
of my guide was a remark that the wine  
was very good4 ,then ,i made the emblem 

and sign of a corkscrew in my           
sketch-book with a pencil1 but he       
pretended not to understand--such was   
his breeding4 ,then ,i imitated the     
mode1 sound1 and gesture of a corkscrew 
entering a cork1 and an old man next to 
me said ',tira-buchon'--a common ,french
 word as familiar as the woods of       
,marly6 ,it was brought4 ,the bottle was
 opened and we all drank together4  ,as 
,i rose to go out of ,tizzano ,val      
,parmense my guide said to me1 ',se     
chiama ,tira-,buchon perche ,e' lira il 
buchon' ,and ,i said to him1 ',dominus  
,vobiscum' and left him to his hills4   
,i took the road downwards from the     
ridge into the next dip and valley1 but 
after a mile or so in the great heat 7it
 was now one o'clock7 ,i was exhausted4 
,so ,i went up to a little wooded bank1 
and lay there in the shade sketching    
,tizzano ,val ,parmense1 where it stood 
not much above me1 and then ,i lay down 
and slept for an hour and smoked a pipe 
and thought of many things4  ,from the  

ridge on which ,tizzano stands1 which is
 the third of these ,apennine spurs1 to 
the next1 the fourth1 is but a little   
way2 one looks across from one to the   
other4 ,nevertheless it is a difficult  
piece of walking1 because in the middle 
of the valley another ridge1 almost as  
high as the principal spurs1 runs down1 
and this has to be climbed at its lowest
 part before one can get down to the    
torrent of the ,enza1 where it runs with
 a hollow noise in the depths of the    
mountains4 ,so the whole valley looks   
confused1 and it appears1 and is1       
laborious4  ,very high up above in a    
mass of trees stood the first of those  
many ruined towers and castles in which 
the ,apennines abound1 and of which     
,canossa1 far off and indistinguishable 
in the haze1 was the chief example4 ,it 
was called ',the ,tower of ,rugino'4    
,beyond the deep trench of the ,enza1   
poised as it seemed on its southern bank
 7but really much further off1 in the   
,secchia valley71 stood that strange    

high rock of ,castel-,nuovo1 which the  
peasant had shown me that morning and   
which was the landmark of this attempt4 
,it seemed made rather by man than by   
nature1 so square and exact was it and  
so cut off from the other hills4  ,it   
was not till the later afternoon1 when  
the air was already full of the golden  
dust that comes before the fall of the  
evening1 that ,i stood above the ,enza  
and saw it running thousands of feet    
below4 ,here ,i halted for a moment     
irresolute1 and looked at the confusion 
of the hills4 ,it had been my intention 
to make a straight line for ,collagna1  
but ,i could not tell where ,collagna   
lay save that it was somewhere behind   
the high mountain that was now darkening
 against the sky4 ,moreover1 the ,enza  
7as ,i could see down1 down from where  
,i stood7 was not fordable4 ,it did not 
run in streams but in one full current1 
and was a true river4 ,all the scene was
 wild4 ,i had come close to the central 
ridge of the ,apennines4 ,it stood above

 me but five or six clear miles away1   
and on its slopes there were patches and
 fields of snow which were beginning to 
glimmer in the diminishing light4  ,four
 peasants sat on the edge of the road4  
,they were preparing to go to their     
quiet homesteads1 and they were         
gathering their scythes together1 for   
they had been mowing in a field4 ,coming
 up to these1 ,i asked them how ,i might
 reach ,collagna4 ,they told me that ,i 
could not go straight1 as ,i had wished1
 on account of the impassable river1 but
 that if ,i went down the steep directly
 below me ,i should find a bridge2 that 
thence a path went up the opposite ridge
 to where a hamlet1 called ,ceregio     
7which they showed me beyond the        
valley71 stood in trees on the crest1   
and once there 7they said7 ,i could be  
further directed4 ,i understood all     
their speech except one fatal word4 ,i  
thought they told me that ,ceregio was  
half the way to ,collagna2 and what that
 error cost me you shall hear4  ,they   

drank my wine1 ,i ate their bread1 and  
we parted3 they to go to their          
accustomed place1 and ,i to cross this  
unknown valley4 ,but when ,i had left   
these grave and kindly men1 the echo of 
their voices remained with me2 the deep 
valley of the ,enza seemed lonely1 and  
as ,i went lower and lower down towards 
the noise of the river ,i lost the sun4 
,the ,enza was flooded4 ,a rough bridge1
 made of stout logs resting on trunks of
 trees that were lashed together like   
tripods and supported a long plank1 was 
afforded to cross it4 ,but in the high  
water it did not quite reach to the     
hither bank4 ,i rolled great stones into
 the water and made a short causeway1   
and so1 somewhat perilously1 ,i attained
 the farther shore1 and went up1 up by a
 little precipitous path till ,i reached
 the hamlet of ,ceregio standing on its 
hill1 blessed and secluded2 for no road 
leads in or out of it1 but only         
mule-paths4  ,the houses were all       
grouped together round a church2 it was 

dim between them2 but several men       
driving oxen took me to a house that was
 perhaps the inn1 though there was no   
sign2 and there in a twilight room we   
all sat down together like ,christians  
in perfect harmony1 and the woman of the
 house served us4  ,now when1 after this
 communion1 ,i asked the way to         
,collagna1 they must have thought me    
foolish1 and have wondered why ,i did   
not pass the night with them1 for they  
knew how far off ,collagna was4 ,but ,i 
7by the error in language of which ,i   
have told you7 believed it to be but a  
short way off4  ,it was in reality ten  
miles4 ,the oldest of my companions said
 he would put me on the way4  ,we went  
together in the half light by a lane    
that followed the crest of the hill1 and
 we passed a charming thing1 a little   
white sculpture in relief1 set up for a 
shrine and representing the             
,annunciation2 and as we passed it we   
both smiled4 ,then in a few hundred     
yards we passed another that was the    

,visitation1 and they were gracious and 
beautiful to a degree1 and ,i saw that  
they stood for the five joyful          
mysteries4 ,then he had to leave me1 and
 he said1 pointing to the little shrine3
  ',when you come to the fifth of these 
the path divides4 ,take that to the     
left1 and follow it round the hollow of 
the mountain3 it will become a lane4    
,this lane crosses a stream and passes  
near a tower4 ,when you have reached the
 tower it joins a great highroad1 and   
that is the road to ,collagna4'  ,and   
when he indicated the shrines he smiled1
 as though in apology for them1 and ,i  
saw that we were of the same religion4  
,then 7since people who will not meet   
again should give each other presents   
mutually7 ,i gave him the best of my two
 pipes1 a new pipe with letters carved  
on it1 which he took to be the initials 
of my name1 and he on his part gave me a
 hedge-rose which he had plucked and had
 been holding in his fingers4 ,and ,i   
continued the path alone4  ,certainly   

these people have a benediction upon    
them1 granted them for their simple     
lives and their justice4 ,their eyes are
 fearless and kindly4 ,they are         
courteous1 straight1 and all have in    
them laughter and sadness4 ,they are    
full of songs1 of memories1 of the      
stories of their native place2 and their
 worship is conformable to the world    
that ,god made4 ,may they possess their 
own land1 and may their influence come  
again from ,italy to save from jar1 and 
boasting1 and ineptitude the foolish1   
valourless cities1 and the garish crowds
 of shouting men4444 ,and let us        
especially pray that the revival of the 
faith may do something for our poor old 
universities4  ,already1 when ,i heard  
all these directions1 they seemed to    
argue a longer road than ,i had         
expected4 ,it proved interminable4  ,it 
was now fully dark2 the night was very  
cold from the height of the hills2 a    
dense dew began to fall upon the ground1
 and the sky was full of stars4 ,for    

hours ,i went on slowly down the lane   
that ran round the hollow of the wooded 
mountain1 wondering why ,i did not reach
 the stream he spoke of4 ,it was        
midnight when ,i came to the level1 and 
yet ,i heard no water1 and did not yet  
see the tower against the sky4 ,extreme 
fatigue made it impossible1 as ,i       
thought1 to proceed farther1 when ,i saw
 a light in a window1 and went to it    
quickly and stood beneath it4 ,a woman  
from the window called me ,caro mio1    
which was gracious1 but she would not   
let me sleep even in the straw of the   
barn4  ,i hobbled on in despair of the  
night1 for the necessity of sleep was   
weighing me down after four high hills  
climbed that day1 and after the rough   
ways and the heat and the continual     
marching4  ,i found a bridge which      
crossed the deep ravine they had told me
 of4 ,this high bridge was new1 and had 
been built of fine stone1 yet it was    
broken and ruined1 and a gap suddenly   
showed in the dark4 ,i stepped back from

 it in fear4 ,the clambering down to the
 stream and up again through the briars 
to regain the road broke me yet more1   
and when1 on the hill beyond1 ,i saw the
 tower faintly darker against the dark  
sky1 ,i went up doggedly to it1 fearing 
faintness1 and reaching it where it     
stood 7it was on the highest ground     
overlooking the ,secchia valley71 ,i sat
 down on a stone beside it and waited   
for the morning4  ,the long slope of the
 hills fell away for miles to where1 by 
daylight1 would have lain the misty     
plain of ,emilia4 ,the darkness confused
 the landscape4 ,the silence of the     
mountains and the awful solemnity of the
 place lent that vast panorama a sense  
of the terrible1 under the dizzy roof of
 the stars4 ,every now and again some   
animal of the night gave a cry in the   
undergrowth of the valley1 and the great
 rock of ,castel-,nuovo1 now close and  
enormous--bare1 rugged1 a desert        
place--added something of doom4  ,the   
hours were creeping on with the less    

certain stars2 a very faint and unliving
 grey touched the edges of the clouds4  
,the cold possessed me1 and ,i rose to  
walk1 if ,i could walk1 a little        
farther4  ,what is that in the mind     
which1 after 7it may be7 a slight       
disappointment or a petty accident1     
causes it to suffer on the scale of     
grave things8  ,i have waited for the   
dawn a hundred times1 attended by that  
mournful1 colourless spirit which haunts
 the last hours of darkness2 and        
influenced especially by the great      
timeless apathy that hangs round the    
first uncertain promise of increasing   
light4 ,for there is an hour before     
daylight when men die1 and when there is
 nothing above the soul or around it1   
when even the stars fail4  ,and this    
long and dreadful expectation ,i had    
thought to be worst when one was alone  
at sea in a small boat without wind2    
drifting beyond one's harbour in the ebb
 of the outer channel tide1 and sogging 
back at the first flow on the broad1    

confused movement of a sea without any  
waves4 ,in such lonely mornings ,i have 
watched the ,owers light turning1 and ,i
 have counted up my gulf of time1 and   
wondered that moments could be so       
stretched out in the clueless mind4 ,i  
have prayed for the morning or for a    
little draught of wind1 and this ,i have
 thought1 ,i say1 the extreme of        
absorption into emptiness and longing4  
,but now1 on this ridge1 dragging myself
 on to the main road1 ,i found a deeper 
abyss of isolation and despairing       
fatigue than ,i had ever known1 and ,i  
came near to turning eastward and       
imploring the hastening of light1 as men
 pray continually without reason for    
things that can but come in a due order4
 ,i still went forward a little1 because
 when ,i sat down my loneliness         
oppressed me like a misfortune2 and     
because my feet1 going painfully and    
slowly1 yet gave a little balance and   
rhythm to the movement of my mind4  ,i  
heard no sound of animals or birds4 ,i  

passed several fields1 deserted in the  
half-darkness2 and in some ,i felt the  
hay1 but always found it wringing wet   
with dew1 nor could ,i discover a good  
shelter from the wind that blew off the 
upper snow of the summits4 ,for a little
 space of time there fell upon me1 as ,i
 crept along the road1 that shadow of   
sleep which numbs the mind1 but it could
 not compel me to lie down1 and ,i      
accepted it only as a partial and       
beneficent oblivion which covered my    
desolation and suffering as a thin1     
transparent cloud may cover an evil     
moon4  ,then suddenly the sky grew      
lighter upon every side4 ,that cheating 
gloom 7which ,i think the clouds in     
purgatory must reflect7 lifted from the 
valley as though to a slow order given  
by some calm and good influence that was
 marshalling in the day4 ,their colours 
came back to things2 the trees recovered
 their shape1 life1 and trembling2 here 
and there1 on the face of the mountain  
opposite1 the mists by their movement   

took part in the new life1 and ,i       
thought ,i heard for the first time the 
tumbling water far below me in the      
ravine4 ,that subtle barrier was drawn  
which marks to-day from yesterday2 all  
the night and its despondency became the
 past and entered memory4 ,the road     
before me1 the pass on my left 7my last 
ridge1 and the entry into ,tuscany71 the
 mass of the great hills1 had become    
mixed into the increasing light1 that   
is1 into the familiar and invigorating  
,present which ,i have always found     
capable of opening the doors of the     
future with a gesture of victory4  ,my  
pain either left me1 or ,i ceased to    
notice it1 and seeing a little way      
before me a bank above the road1 and a  
fine grove of sparse and dominant       
chestnuts1 ,i climbed up thither and    
turned1 standing to the east4  ,there1  
without any warning of colours1 or of   
the heraldry that we have in the north1 
the sky was a great field of pure light1
 and without doubt it was all woven     

through1 as was my mind watching it1    
with security and gladness4 ,into this  
field1 as ,i watched it1 rose the sun4  
,the air became warmer almost suddenly4 
,the splendour and health of the new day
 left me all in repose1 and persuaded or
 compelled me to immediate sleep4  ,i   
found therefore in the short grass1 and 
on the scented earth beneath one of my  
trees1 a place for lying down2 ,i       
stretched myself out upon it1 and lapsed
 into a profound slumber1 which nothing 
but a vague and tenuous delight         
separated from complete forgetfulness4  
,if the last confusion of thought1      
before sleep possessed me1 was a kind of
 prayer--and certainly ,i was in the    
mood of gratitude and of adoration--this
 prayer was of course to ,god1 from whom
 every good proceeds1 but partly        
7idolatrously7 to the ,sun1 which1 of   
all the things ,he has made1 seems1 of  
what we at least can discover1 the most 
complete and glorious4  ,therefore the  
first hours of the sunlight1 after ,i   

had wakened1 made the place like a new  
country2 for my mind which received it  
was new4 ,i reached ,collagna before the
 great heat1 following the fine highroad
 that went dipping and rising again     
along the mountain side1 and then       
7leaving the road and crossing the      
little ,secchia by a bridge71 a path1   
soon lost in a grassy slope1 gave me an 
indication of my way4 ,for when ,i had  
gone an hour or so upwards along the    
shoulder of the hill1 there opened      
gradually before me a silent and        
profound vale1 hung with enormous woods1
 and sloping upwards to where it was    
closed by a high bank beneath and       
between two peaks4 ,this bank ,i knew   
could be nothing else than the central  
ridge of the ,apennines1 the watershed1 
the boundary of ,tuscany1 and the end of
 all the main part of my journey4       
,beyond1 the valleys would open on to   
the ,tuscan ,plain1 and at the southern 
limit of that1 ,siena was my mark2 from 
,siena to ,rome an eager man1 if he is  

sound1 may march in three long days4    
,nor was that calculation all4 ,the     
satisfaction of the last lap1 of the    
home run1 went with the word ,tuscany in
 my mind2 these cities were the         
approaches and introduction of the end4 
,when ,i had slept out the heat1 ,i     
followed the woods upward through the   
afternoon4 ,they stood tangled and huge1
 and the mosses under them were thick   
and silent1 because in this last belt of
 the mountains height and coolness      
reproduced the north4 ,a charcoal burner
 was making his furnace2 after that for 
the last miles there was no sound4 ,even
 the floor of the vale was a depth of   
grass1 and no torrent ran in it but only
 a little hidden stream1 leafy like our 
streams at home4  ,at last the steep    
bank1 a wall at the end of the valley1  
rose immediately above me4 ,it was very 
steep and bare1 desolate with the many  
stumps of trees that had been cut down2 
but all its edge and fringe against the 
sky was the line of a deep forest4      

,after its laborious hundreds of feet1  
when the forest that crowned it evenly  
was reached1 the ,apennines were        
conquered1 the last great range was     
passed1 and there stood no barrier      
between this high crest and ,rome4  ,the
 hither side of that bank1 ,i say1 had  
been denuded of its trees2 the roots of 
secular chestnuts stood like graves     
above the dry steep1 and had marked my  
last arduous climb4 ,now1 at the summit1
 the highest part was a line of cool    
forest1 and the late afternoon mingled  
with the sanctity of trees4 ,a genial   
dampness pervaded the earth beneath2    
grasses grew1 and there were living     
creatures in the shade4  ,nor was this  
tenanted wood all the welcome ,i        
received on my entry into ,tuscany4     
,already ,i heard the noise of falling  
waters upon every side1 where the       
,serchio sprang from twenty sources on  
the southern slope1 and leapt down      
between mosses1 and quarrelled1 and     
overcame great smooth dark rocks in busy

 falls4 ,indeed1 it was like my own     
country in the north1 and a man might   
say to himself--',after so much         
journeying1 perhaps ,i am in the        
,enchanted ,wood1 and may find at last  
the fairy ,melisaunde4'  ,a glade       
opened1 and1 the trees no longer hiding 
it1 ,i looked down the vale1 which was  
the gate of ,tuscany4 ,there--high1     
jagged1 rapt into the sky--stood such a 
group of mountains as men dream of in   
good dreams1 or see in the works of     
painters when old age permits them      
revelations4 ,their height was evident  
from the faint mist and grey of their   
hues2 their outline was tumultuous1 yet 
balanced2 full of accident and poise4   
,it was as though these high walls of   
,carrara1 the western boundary of the   
valley1 had been shaped expressly for   
man1 in order to exalt him with         
unexpected and fantastic shapes1 and to 
expand his dull life with a permanent   
surprise4  ,for a long time ,i gazed at 
these great hills4  ,then1 more silent  

in the mind through their influence1 ,i 
went down past the speech and           
companionship of the springs of the     
,serchio1 and the chestnut trees were   
redolent of evening all round4 ,down the
 bank to where the streams met in one1  
down the river1 across its gaping1      
ruinous bridge 7which some one1         
generations ago1 had built for the rare 
travellers--there were then no main     
roads across the ,apennine1 and perhaps 
this rude pass was in favour72 down     
still more gently through the narrow    
upper valley ,i went between the        
chestnut trees1 and calm went with me   
for a companion3 and the love of men and
 the expectation of good seemed natural 
to all that had been made in this       
blessed place4 ,of ,borda1 where the    
peasants directed me1 there is no need  
to speak1 till crossing the ,serchio    
once more1 this time on a trestle bridge
 of wood1 ,i passed by a wider path     
through the groves1 and entered the dear
 village of ,sillano1 which looks right 

into the pure west4 ,and the peaks are  
guardians all about it3 the elder       
brothers of this remote and secluded    
valley4  ,an inn received me3 a great   
kitchen full of men and women talking1 a
 supper preparing1 a great fire1 meat   
smoking and drying in the ingle-nook1 a 
vast timbered roof going up into        
darkness3 there ,i was courteously      
received1 but no one understood my      
language4 ,seeing there a young priest1 
,i said to him--  ',pater1 habeo linguam
 latinam1 sed non habeo linguam         
,italicam4 ,visne mi dare traductionem  
in istam linguam ,toscanam non nullorum 
verborum8'  ,to this he replied1        
',libenter1' and the people revered us  
both4 ,thus he told me the name for a   
knife was cultello2 for a room1 camera  
par domire2 for 'what is it called8'    
'come si chiama8'2 for 'what is the road
 to8' 'quella e la via a4448' and other 
phrases wherein1 no doubt1 ,i am wrong2 
but ,i only learnt by ear4  ,then he    
said to me something ,i did not         

understand1 and ,i answered1            
',pol-,hercle6' at which he seemed      
pleased enough4  ,then1 to make         
conversation1 ,i said1 ',diaconus es8'  
,and he answered me1 mildly and gravely1
 ',presbyter sum4'  ,and a little while 
after he left for his house1 but ,i went
 out on to the balcony1 where men and   
women were talking in subdued tones4    
,there1 alone1 ,i sat and watched the   
night coming up into these ,tuscan      
hills4 ,the first moon since that waning
 in ,lorraine--7how many nights ago1 how
 many marches67--hung in the sky1 a full
 crescent1 growing into brightness and  
glory as she assumed her reign4 ,the one
 star of the west called out his silent 
companions in their order2 the mountains
 merged into a fainter confusion2 heaven
 and the infinite air became the natural
 seat of any spirit that watched this   
spell4 ,the fire-flies darted in the    
depths of vineyards and of trees below2 
then the noise of the grasshoppers      
brought back suddenly the gardens of    

home1 and whatever benediction surrounds
 our childhood4 ,some promise of eternal
 pleasures and of rest deserved haunted 
the village of ,sillano4  ,in very early
 youth the soul can still remember its  
immortal habitation1 and clouds and the 
edges of hills are of another kind from 
ours1 and every scent and colour has a  
savour of ,paradise4 ,what that quality 
may be no language can tell1 nor have   
men made any words1 no1 nor any music1  
to recall it--only in a transient way   
and elusive the recollection of what    
youth was1 and purity1 flashes on us in 
phrases of the poets1 and is gone before
 we can fix it in our minds--oh6 my     
friends1 if we could but recall it6     
,whatever those sounds may be that are  
beyond our sounds1 and whatever are     
those keen lives which remain alive     
there under memory--whatever is         
,youth--,youth came up that valley at   
evening1 borne upon a southern air4 ,if 
we deserve or attain beatitude1 such    
things shall at last be our settled     

state2 and their now sudden influence   
upon the soul in short ecstasies is the 
proof that they stand outside time1 and 
are not subject to decay4  ,this1 then1 
was the blessing of ,sillano1 and here  
was perhaps the highest moment of those 
seven hundred miles--or more4 ,do not   
therefore be astonished1 reader1 if ,i  
now press on much more hurriedly to     
,rome1 for the goal is almost between my
 hands1 and the chief moment has been   
enjoyed1 until ,i shall see the ,city4  
,now ,i cry out and deplore me that this
 next sixty miles of way1 but especially
 the heat of the days and the dank mists
 of the night1 should have to be told as
 of a real journey in this very         
repetitive and sui-similar world4 ,how  
much rather ,i wish that being free from
 mundane and wide-awake 7that is to say 
from perilously dusty7 considerations   
and droughty boredoms1 ,i might wander  
forth at leisure through the air and    
visit the regions where everything is as
 the soul chooses3 to be dropped at last

 in the ancient and famous town of      
,siena1 whence comes that kind of common
 brown paint wherewith men1 however     
wicked1 can produce 7if they have but   
the art7 very surprising effects of     
depth in painting3 for so ,i read of it 
in a book by a fool1 at six shillings1  
and even that was part of a series3 but 
if you wish to know anything further of 
the matter1 go you and read it1 for ,i  
will do nothing of the kind4  ,oh to be 
free for strange voyages even for a     
little while6 ,i am tired of the road2  
and so are you1 and small blame to you4 
,your fathers also tired of the         
treadmill1 and mine of the conquering   
marches of the ,republic4  ,heaven bless
 you all6  ,but ,i say that if it were  
not for the incredulity and doubt and   
agnostico-schismatical hesitation1 and  
very cumbersome air of                  
questioning-and-peering-about1 which is 
the bane of our moderns1 very certainly 
,i should now go on to tell of giants as
 big as cedars1 living in mountains of  

precious stones1 and drawn to battle by 
dragons in cars of gold2 or of towns    
where the customs of men were remote and
 unexpected2 of countries not yet       
visited1 and of the gods returning4 ,for
 though it is permissible1 and a        
pleasant thing 7as ,bacon says71 to mix 
a little falsehood with one's truth 7so 
,st ,louis mixed water with his wine1   
and so does ,sir ,john ,growl mix       
vinegar with his1 unless ,i am greatly  
mistaken1 for if not1 how does he give  
it that taste at his dinners8 eh8       
,there1 ,i think1 is a question that    
would puzzle him67 yet is it much more  
delectable1 and far worthier of the     
immortal spirit of man to soar into the 
empyrean of pure lying--that is1 to lay 
the bridle on the neck of ,pegasus and  
let him go forward1 while in the saddle 
meanwhile one sits well back1 grips with
 the knee1 takes the race1 and on the   
energy of that steed visits the wheeling
 stars4  ,this much1 then1 is worth     
telling of the valley of the ,serchio1  

that it is narrow1 garrulous with water 
brawling1 wooded densely1 and contained 
by fantastic mountains4 ,that it has a  
splendid name1 like the clashing of     
cymbals--,garfagnana2 that it leads to  
the ,tuscan plain1 and that it is over a
 day's march long4 ,also1 it is an oven4
  ,never since the early liars first    
cooked eggs in the sand was there such  
heat1 and it was made hotter by the     
consciousness of folly1 than which there
 is no more heating thing2 for ,i think 
that not old ,championnet himself1 with 
his ,division of ,iron1 that fought one 
to three and crushed the aged enormities
 of the oppressors as we would crush an 
empty egg1 and that found the summer a  
good time for fighting in ,naples1 ,i   
say that he himself would not have      
marched men up the ,garfagnana in such a
 sun4 ,folly planned it1 ,pride held to 
it1 and the devils lent their climate4  
,garfagnana6 ,garfagnana6 to have such a
 pleasant name1 and to be what you are6 
,not that there were not old towers on  

the steep woods of the ,apennine1 nor   
glimpses of the higher peaks2 towns     
also3 one castle surrounded by a fringe 
of humble roofs--there were all these   
things4 ,but it was an oven4 ,so imagine
 me1 after having passed chapels built  
into rocks1 and things most curious1 but
 the whole under the strain of an       
intolerable sun1 coming1 something after
 midday1 to a place called              
,castel-,nuovo1 the first town1 for     
,campogiamo is hardly a town4  ,at      
,castel-,nuovo ,i sat upon a bridge and 
thought1 not what good men think 7there 
came into my memory no historical stuff2
 for all ,i know1 ,liberty never went by
 that valley in arms72 no appreciation  
of beauty filled me2 ,i was indifferent 
to all save the intolerable heat1 when  
,i suddenly recognized the enormous     
number of bridges that bespattered the  
town4  ',this is an odd thing1' ,i      
mused4 ',here is a little worriment of a
 town up in the hills1 and what a       
powerful lot of bridges6'  ,i cared not 

a fig for the thousand things ,i had    
been told to expect in ,tuscany2        
everything is in a mind1 and as they    
were not in my mind they did not exist4 
,but the bridges1 they indeed were      
worthy of admiration6  ,here was a      
horrible little place on a torrent bank4
 ,one bridge was reasonable for by it   
went the road leading south to ,lucca   
and to ,rome2 it was common honour to   
let men escape4 ,but as ,i sat on that  
main bridge ,i counted seven others2    
indeed there must have been a worship of
 a bridge-god some time or other to     
account for such a necklace of bridges  
in such a neglected borough4  ,you may  
say 7,i am off hard on the road to      
,borgo1 drooping with the heat1 but     
still going strongly71 you may say that 
is explicable enough4 ,first a thing is 
useful1 you say1 then it has to become  
routine2 then the habit1 being a habit1 
gets a sacred idea attached to it4 ,so  
with bridges3 e4g4 ,pontifex2           
,dervorguilla1 our ,ballici saint that  

built a bridge2 the devil that will     
hinder the building of bridges2 cf4 the 
,porphyry ,bridge in the ,malay         
cosmogony2 ,amershickel1                
,brueckengebildung im                   
kult-,historischer4  ,passenmayer2      
,durat1 ,le pont antique1 etude sur les 
origines ,toscanes2 ,mr ,dacre's ,the   
,command of ,bridges in ,warfare2       
,bridges and ,empire1 by ,captain ,hole1
 ,u4,s4,a4 ,you may say all this2 ,i    
shall not reply4 ,if the heat has       
hindered me from saying a word of the   
fine open valley on the left1 of the    
little railway and of the last of the   
hills1 do you suppose it will permit me 
to discuss the sanctity of bridges8 ,if 
it did1 ,i think there is a little      
question on 'why should habit turn      
sacred8' which would somewhat confound  
and pose you1 and pose also1 for that   
matter1 every pedant that ever went     
blind and crook-backed over books1 or   
took ivory for horn4 ,and there is an   
end of it4 ,argue it with whom you will4

 ,it is evening1 and ,i am at ,borgo    
7for if many towns are called           
,castel-,nuovo so are many called ,borgo
 in ,italy71 and ,i desire to be free of
 interruption while ,i eat and sleep and
 reflect upon the error of that march in
 that heat1 spoiling nearly thirty miles
 of road1 losing so many great and      
pleasurable emotions1 all for haste and 
from a neglect of the ,italian night4   
,and as ,i ate1 and before ,i slept1 ,i 
thought of that annotated ,guide ,book  
which is cried out for by all ,europe1  
and which shall tell blunt truths4      
,look you out ',garfagnana1 district of1
 ,valley of ,serchio' in the index4     
,you will be referred to p4 #bfg4 ,turn 
to p4 #bfg4 ,you will find there the    
phrase--  ',one can walk from the pretty
 little village of ,sillano1 nestling in
 its chestnut groves1 to the flourishing
 town of ,borgo on the new ,bagni       
railway in a day4'  ,you will find a    
mark #a after that phrase4 ,it refers to
 a footnote4 ,glance 7or look7 at the   

bottom of the page and you will find3   
#a ,but if one does one is a fool4  ,so 
,i slept late and uneasily the          
insufficient sleep of men who have      
suffered1 and in that uneasy sleep ,i   
discovered this great truth3 that if in 
a southern summer you do not rest in the
 day the night will seem intolerably    
warm1 but that1 if you rest in the day1 
you will find coolness and energy at    
evening4  ,the next morning with        
daylight ,i continued the road to       
,lucca1 and of that also ,i will say    
nothing4  ,,lector4 ,why on earth did   
you write this book8  ,,auctor4 ,for my 
amusement4  ,,lector4 ,and why do you   
suppose ,i got it8  ,,auctor4 ,i cannot 
conceive444 however1 ,i will give up    
this much1 to tell you that at ,decimo  
the mystery of cypress trees first came 
into my adventure and pilgrimage3 of    
cypress trees which henceforward were to
 mark my ,tuscan road4 ,and ,i will tell
 you that there also ,i came across a   
thing peculiar 7,i suppose7 to the      

region of ,lucca1 for ,i saw it there as
 at ,decimo1 and also some miles beyond4
 ,i mean fine mournful towers built     
thus3 ,in the first storey one arch1 in 
the second two1 in the third three1 and 
so on3 a very noble way of building4    
,and ,i will tell you something more4 ,i
 will tell you something no one has yet 
heard4 ,to wit1 why this place is called
 ,decimo1 and why just below it is      
another little spot called ,sexta4      
,,lector4444  ,,auctor4 ,i know what you
 are going to say6 ,do not say it4 ,you 
are going to say3 ',it is because they  
were at the sixth and tenth milestones  
from ,lucca on the ,roman road4' ,heaven
 help these scientists6 ,did you suppose
 that ,i thought it was called ,decimo  
because the people had ten toes8 ,tell  
me1 why is not every place ten miles out
 of a ,roman town called by such a name8
 ,eh8  ,you are dumb4 ,you cannot       
answer4 ,like most moderns you have     
entirely missed the point4 ,we all know 
that there was a ,roman town at ,lucca1 

because it was called ,luca1 and if     
there had been no ,roman town the modern
 town would not be spelt with two c's4  
,all ,roman towns had milestones beyond 
them4 ,but why did this tenth milestone 
from this ,roman town keep its name8    
,,lector4 ,i am indifferent4  ,,auctor4 
,i will tell you4 ,up in the tangle of  
the ,carrara mountains1 overhanging the 
,garfagnana1 was a wild tribe1 whose    
name ,i forget 7unless it were the      
,bruttii71 but which troubled the       
,romans not a little1 defeating them    
horribly1 and keeping the legionaries in
 some anxiety for years4 ,so when the   
soldiers marched out north from ,luca   
about six miles1 they could halt and    
smile at each other1 and say ',at       
,sextant444 that's all right4  ,all safe
 so far6' and therefore only a little   
village grew up at this little rest and 
emotion4 ,but as they got nearer the    
gates of the hills they began to be     
visibly perturbed1 and they would say3  
',the eighth mile6 cheer up6' ,then     

',the ninth mile6 ,sanctissima ,madonna6
 ,have you seen anything moving on the  
heights8' ,but when they got to the     
tenth milestone1 which stands before the
 very jaws of the defile1 then indeed   
they said with terrible emphasis1 ',ad  
,decimam6' ,and there was no restraining
 them3 they would camp and entrench1 or 
die in the venture3 for they were       
,romans and stern fellows1 and loved a  
good square camp and a ditch1 and       
sentries and a clear moon1 and plenty of
 sharp stakes1 and all the panoply of   
war4 ,that is the origin of ,decimo4    
,for all my early start1 the intolerable
 heat had again taken the ascendant     
before ,i had fairly entered the plain4 
,then1 it being yet but morning1 ,i     
entered from the north the town of      
,lucca1 which is the neatest1 the       
regularest1 the exactest1 the most      
fly-in-amber little town in the world1  
with its uncrowded streets1 its absurd  
fortifications1 and its contented silent
 houses--all like a family at ease and  

at rest under its high sun4 ,it is as   
sharp and trim as its own map1 and that 
map is as clear as a geometrical        
problem4 ,everything in ,lucca is good4 
,i went with a short shadow1 creeping   
when ,i could on the eastern side of the
 street to save the sunlight2 then ,i   
came to the main square1 and immediately
 on my left was the ,albergo di         
,something-or-other1 a fine great hotel1
 but most unfortunately right facing the
 blazing sky4 ,i had to stop outside it 
to count my money4 ,i counted it wrong  
and entered4 ,there ,i saw the master1  
who talked ,french4  ',can you in an    
hour1' said ,i1 'give me a meal to my   
order1 then a bed1 though it is early   
day8' ,this absurd question ,i made less
 absurd by explaining to him my purpose4
 ,how ,i was walking to ,rome and how1  
being northern1 ,i was unaccustomed to  
such heat2 how1 therefore1 ,i had missed
 sleep1 and would find it necessary in  
future to walk mainly by night4 ,for ,i 
had now determined to fill the last few 

marches up in darkness1 and to sleep out
 the strong hours of the sun4  ,all this
 he understood2 ,i ordered such a meal  
as men give to beloved friends returned 
from wars4 ,i ordered a wine ,i had     
known long ago in the valley of the     
,saone in the old time of peace before  
ever the ,greek came to the land4 ,while
 they cooked it ,i went to their cool   
and splendid cathedral to follow a late 
,mass4 ,then ,i came home and ate their 
admirable food and drank the wine which 
the ,burgundians had trodden upon the   
hills of gold so many years before4     
,they showed me a regal kind of a room  
where a bed with great hangings invited 
repose4  ,all my days of marching1 the  
dirty inns1 the forests1 the nights     
abroad1 the cold1 the mists1 the        
sleeplessness1 the faintness1 the dust1 
the dazzling sun1 the ,apennines--all my
 days came over me1 and there fell on me
 a peaceful weight1 as his two hundred  
years fell upon ,charlemagne in the     
tower of ,saragossa when the battle was 

done2 after he had curbed the valley of 
,ebro and christened ,bramimonde4  ,so  
,i slept deeply all day long2 and1      
outside1 the glare made a silence upon  
the closed shutters1 save that little   
insects darted in the outer air4  ,when 
,i woke it was evening4 ,so well had    
they used me that ,i paid what they     
asked1 and1 not knowing what money      
remained over1 ,i left their town by the
 southern gate1 crossed the railway and 
took the road4  ,my way lay under the   
flank of that mountain whereby the      
,luccans cannot see ,pisa1 or the       
,pisans cannot see ,lucca--it is all one
 to me1 ,i shall not live in either     
town1 ,god willing2 and if they are so  
eager to squint at one another1 in      
,heaven's name1 cannot they be at the   
pains to walk round the end of the hill8
 ,it is this laziness which is the ruin 
of many2 but not of pilgrims1 for here  
was ,i off to cross the plain of ,arno  
in one night1 and reach by morning the  
mouth and gate of that valley of the    

,elsa1 which same is a very manifest    
proof of how ,rome was intended to be   
the end and centre of all roads1 the    
chief city of the world1 and the ,popes'
 residence--as1 indeed1 it plainly is to
 this day1 for all the world to deny at 
their peril1 spiritual1 geographical1   
historical1 sociological1 economic1 and 
philosophical4  ,for if some such       
primeval and predestinarian quality were
 not inherent in the ,city1 how1 think  
you1 would the valley of the            
,serchio--the hot1 droughty1 and baking 
,garfagnana--lead down pointing straight
 to ,rome2 and how would that same line1
 prolonged across the plain1 find       
fitting it exactly beyond that plain    
this vale of the ,elsa1 itself leading  
up directly towards ,rome8 ,i say1      
nowhere in the world is such a          
coincidence observable1 and they that   
will not take it for a portent may go   
back to their rationalism and consort   
with microbes and make their meals off  
logarithms1 washed down with an exact   

distillation of the root of minus one2  
and the peace of fools1 that is the     
deepest and most balmy of all1 be theirs
 for ever and ever4  ,here again you    
fall into errors as you read1 ever      
expecting something new2 for of that    
night's march there is nothing to tell1 
save that it was cool1 full of mist1 and
 an easy matter after the royal         
entertainment and sleep of the princely 
,albergo that dignifies ,lucca4 ,the    
villages were silent1 the moon soon left
 the sky1 and the stars could not show  
through the fog1 which deepened in the  
hours after midnight4  ,a map ,i had    
bought in ,lucca made the difficulties  
of the first part of the road 7though   
there were many cross-ways7 easy enough2
 and the second part1 in midnight and   
the early hours1 was very plain sailing1
 till--having crossed the main line and 
having1 at last1 very weary1 come up to 
the branch railway at a slant from the  
west and north1 ,i crossed that also    
under the full light--,i stood fairly in

 the ,elsa valley and on the highroad   
which follows the railway straight to   
,siena4 ,that long march1 ,i say1 had   
been easy enough in the coolness and in 
the dark2 but ,i saw nothing2 my        
interior thoughts alone would have      
afforded matter for this part2 but of   
these if you have not had enough in near
 six hundred miles of travel1 you are a 
stouter fellow than ,i took you for4    
,though it was midsummer1 the light had 
come quickly4 ,long after sunrise the   
mist dispersed1 and the nature of the   
valley appeared4  ,it was in no way     
mountainous1 but easy1 pleasant1 and    
comfortable1 bounded by low1 rounded    
hills1 having upon them here and there a
 row of cypresses against the sky2 and  
it was populous with pleasant farms4    
,though the soil was baked and dry1 as  
indeed it is everywhere in this south1  
yet little regular streams 7or canals7  
irrigated it and nourished many trees---
 but the deep grass of the north was    
wanting4  ,for an hour or more after    

sunrise ,i continued my way very        
briskly2 then what had been the warmth  
of the early sun turned into the violent
 heat of day1 and remembering ,merlin   
where he says that those who will walk  
by night must sleep by day1 and having  
in my mind the severe verses of ,james  
,bayle1 sometime ,fellow of ,st ,anne's1
 that 'in ,tuscan summers as a general  
rule1 the days are sultry but the nights
 are cool' 7he was no flamboyant poet2  
he loved the quiet diction of the right 
wing of ,english poetry71 and imagining 
an owlish habit of sleeping by day could
 be acquired at once1 ,i lay down under 
a tree of a kind ,i had never seen2 and 
lulled under the pleasant fancy that    
this was a picture-tree drawn before the
 ,renaissance1 and that ,i was reclining
 in some background landscape of the    
fifteenth century 7for the scene was of 
that kind71 ,i fell asleep4  ,when ,i   
woke it was as though ,i had slept long2
 but ,i doubted the feeling4  ,the young
 sun still low in the sky1 and the      

shadows not yet shortened1 puzzled me4  
,i looked at my watch1 but the          
dislocation of habit which night marches
 produce had left it unwound4 ,it marked
 a quarter to three1 which was absurd4  
,i took the road somewhat stiffly and   
wondering4 ,i passed several small white
 cottages2 there was no clock in them1  
and their people were away4 ,at last in 
a ,trattoria1 as they served me with    
food1 a woman told me it was just after 
seven2 ,i had slept but an hour4        
,outside1 the day was intense2 already  
flies had begun to annoy the darkened   
room within4 ,through the half-curtained
 door the road was white in the sun1 and
 the railway ran just beyond4  ,i paid  
my reckoning1 and then1 partly for an   
amusement1 ,i ranged my remaining pence 
upon the table1 first in the shape of a 
,maltese cross1 then in a circle        
7interesting details674 ,the road lay   
white in the sunlight outside1 and the  
railway ran just beyond4  ,i counted the
 pence and the silver--there was three  

francs and a little over2 ,i remembered 
the imperial largesse at ,lucca1 the    
lordly spending of great sums1 where1   
now in the pocket of an obsequious man1 
the pounds were taking care of          
themselves4 ,i remembered how at ,como  
,i had been compelled by poverty to     
enter the train for ,milan4 ,how little 
was three francs for the remaining      
twenty-five miles to ,siena6 ,the road  
lay white in the sunlight1 and the      
railway ran just beyond4  ,i remembered 
the pleasing cheque in the post-office  
of ,siena2 the banks of ,siena1 and the 
money changers at their counters        
changing money at the rate of change4   
',if one man1' thought ,i1 'may take    
five per cent discount on a sum of money
 in the exchange1 may not another man   
take discount off a walk of over seven  
hundred miles8 ,may he not cut off it1  
as his due1 twenty-five miserable little
 miles in the train8' ,sleep coming over
 me after my meal increased the         
temptation4 ,alas6 how true is the great

 phrase of ,averroes 7or it may be      
,boa-ed-din3 anyhow1 the ,arabic escapes
 me1 but the meaning is plain enough71  
that when one has once fallen1 it is    
easy to fall again 7saving always heavy 
falls from cliffs and high towers1 for  
after these there is no more            
falling74444 ,examine the horse's knees 
before you buy him2 take no             
ticket-of-leave man into your house for 
charity2 touch no prospectus that has   
founders' shares1 and do not play with  
firearms or knives and never go near the
 water till you know how to swim4 ,oh6  
blessed wisdom of the ages6  sole       
patrimony of the poor6 ,the road lay    
white in the sun1 and the railway ran   
just beyond4  ,if the people of ,milo   
did well to put up a statue in gold to  
the man that invented wheels1 so should 
we also put one up in ,portland stone or
 plaster to the man that invented rails1
 whose property it is not only to       
increase the speed and ease of travel1  
but also to bring on slumber as can no  

drug3 not even poppies gathered under a 
waning moon4 ,the rails have a rhythm of
 slight falls and rises444 they make a  
loud roar like a perpetual torrent2 they
 cover up the mind with a veil4  ,once  
only1 when a number of men were shouting
 ',,poggi-,,bon-,,si1' like a war-cry to
 the clank of bronze1 did ,i open my    
eyes sleepily to see a hill1 a castle   
wall1 many cypresses1 and a strange     
tower bulging out at the top 7such      
towers ,i learned were the feature of   
,tuscany74 ,then in a moment1 as it     
seemed1 ,i awoke in the station of      
,siena1 where the railway ends and goes 
no farther4  ,it was still only morning2
 but the glare was beyond bearing as ,i 
passed through the enormous gate of the 
town1 a gate pierced in high and        
stupendous walls that are here guarded  
by lions4 ,in the narrow main street    
there was full shade1 and it was made   
cooler by the contrast of the blaze on  
the higher storeys of the northern side4
 ,the wonders of ,siena kept sleep a    

moment from my mind4 ,i saw their great 
square where a tower of vast height     
marks the guildhall4 ,i heard ,mass in a
 chapel of their cathedral3 a chapel all
 frescoed1 and built1 as it were1 out of
 doors1 and right below the altar-end or
 choir4 ,i noted how the city stood like
 a queen of hills dominating all        
,tuscany3 above the ,elsa northward1    
southward above the province round      
,mount ,amiato4 ,and this great mountain
 ,i saw also hazily far off on the      
horizon4 ,i suffered the vulgarities of 
the main street all in ,english and     
,american1 like a show4 ,i took my money
 and changed it2 then1 having so passed 
not a full hour1 and oppressed by       
weariness1 ,i said to myself3  ',after  
all1 my business is not with cities1 and
 already ,i have seen far off the great 
hill whence one can see far off the     
hills that overhang ,rome4'  ,with this 
in my mind ,i wandered out for a quiet  
place1 and found it in a desolate green 
to the north of the city1 near a huge1  

old red-brick church like a barn4 ,a    
deep shadow beneath it invited me in    
spite of the scant and dusty grass1 and 
in this country no one disturbs the     
wanderer4 ,there1 lying down1 ,i slept  
without dreams till evening4  ,,auctor4 
,turn to page #id4  ,,lector4 ,i have   
it4 ,it is not easy to watch the book in
 two places at once2 but pray continue4 
,,auctor4 ,note the words from the      
eighth to the tenth lines4  ,,lector4   
,why8  ,,auctor4 ,they will make what   
follows seem less abrupt4  ,once there  
was a man dining by himself at the ,cafe
 ,anglais1 in the days when people went 
there4 ,it was a full night1 and he sat 
alone at a small table1 when there      
entered a very big man in a large fur   
coat4 ,the big man looked round annoyed1
 because there was no room1 and the     
first man very courteously offered him a
 seat at his little table4 ,they sat    
down and ate and talked of several      
things2 among others1 of ,bureaucracy4  
,the first maintained that ,bureaucracy 

was the curse of ,france4  ',men are    
governed by it like sheep4 ,the         
administrator1 however humble1 is a     
despot2 most people will even run       
forward to meet him halfway1 like the   
servile dogs they are1' said he4  ',no1'
 answered the ,man in the ,big ,fur     
,coat1 ',i should say men were governed 
just by the ordinary human sense of     
authority4 ,i have no theories4 ,i say  
they recognize authority and obey it4   
,whether it is bureaucratic or not is   
merely a question of form4'  ,at this   
moment there came in a tall1 rather     
stiff ,englishman4 ,he also was put out 
at finding no room4 ,the two men saw the
 manager approach him2 a few words were 
passed1 and a card2 then the manager    
suddenly smiled1 bowed1 smirked1 and    
finally went up to the table and begged 
that the ,duke of ,sussex might be      
allowed to share it4 ,the ,duke hoped he
 did not incommode these gentlemen4     
,they assured him that1 on the contrary1
 they esteemed his presence a favour4   

',it is our prerogative1' said the ,man 
in the ,big ,fur ,coat1 'to be the host 
,paris entertaining her ,guest4'  ,they 
would take no denial2 they insisted on  
the ,duke's dining with them1 and they  
told him what they had just been        
discussing4 ,the ,duke listened to their
 theories with some morgue1 much spleen1
 and no little phlegm1 but with perfect 
courtesy1 and then1 towards the coffee1 
told them in fluent ,french with a      
strong accent1 his own opinion4 7,he had
 had eight excellent courses2 ,yquem    
with his fish1 the best ,chambertin     
during the dinner1 and a glass of       
wonderful champagne with his dessert47  
,he spoke as follows1 with a slight and 
rather hard smile3  ',my opinion may    
seem to you impertinent1 but ,i believe 
nothing more subtly and powerfully      
affects men than the aristocratic       
feeling4 ,do not misunderstand me1' he  
added1 seeing that they would protest2  
'it is not my own experience alone that 
guides me4 ,all history bears witness to

 the same truth4'  ,the simple-minded   
,frenchmen put down this infatuation to 
the ,duke's early training1 little      
knowing that our ,english men of rank   
are the simplest fellows in the world1  
and are quite indifferent to their      
titles save in business matters4  ,the  
,frenchmen paid the bill1 and they all  
three went on to the ,boulevard4        
',now1' said the first man to his two   
companions1 ',i will give you a         
practical example of what ,i meant when 
,i said that ,bureaucracy governed      
mankind4'  ,he went up to the wall of   
the ,credit ,lyonnais1 put the          
forefinger of either hand against it1   
about twenty-five centimetres apart1 and
 at a level of about a foot above his   
eyes4 ,holding his fingers thus he gazed
 at them1 shifting them slightly from   
time to time and moving his glance from 
one to the other rapidly4 ,a crowd      
gathered4 ,in a few moments a pleasant  
elderly1 short1 and rather fat gentleman
 in the crowd came forward1 and1 taking 

off his hat1 asked if he could do       
anything for him4  ',why1' said our     
friend1 'the fact is ,i am an engineer  
7section ,d of the ,public ,works       
,department7 and ,i have to make an     
important measurement in connexion with 
the ,apothegm of the ,bilateral which   
runs to-night precisely through this    
spot4 ,my fingers now mark exactly the  
concentric of the secondary focus whence
 the ,radius ,vector should be drawn1   
but ,i find that 7like a fool7 ,i have  
left my ,double ,refractor in the cafe  
hard by4 ,i dare not go for fear of     
losing the place ,i have marked2 yet ,i 
can get no further without my ,double   
,refractor4'  ',do not let that trouble 
you1' said the short1 stout stranger2   
',i will be delighted to keep the place 
exactly marked while you run for your   
instrument4'  ,the crowd was now swelled
 to a considerable size2 it blocked up  
the pavement1 and was swelled every     
moment by the arrival of the curious4   
,the little fat elderly man put his     

fingers exactly where the other's had   
been1 effecting the exchange with a     
sharp gesture2 and each watched intently
 to see that it was right to within a   
millimetre4 ,the attitude was           
constrained4  ,the elderly man smiled1  
and begged the engineer not to be       
alarmed4 ,so they left him with his two 
forefingers well above his head1        
precisely twenty-five centimetres apart1
 and pressing their tips against the    
wall of the ,credit ,lyonnais4 ,then the
 three friends slipped out of the crowd 
and pursued their way4  ',let us go to  
the theatre1' said the experimenter1    
'and when we come back ,i warrant you   
will agree with my remarks on           
,bureaucracy4'  ,they went to hear the  
admirable marble lines of ,corneille4   
,for three hours they were absorbed by  
the classics1 and1 when they returned1 a
 crowd1 now enormous1 was surging all   
over the ,boulevard1 stopping the       
traffic and filled with a noise like the
 sea4 ,policemen were attacking it with 

the utmost energy1 but still it grew and
 eddied2 and in the centre--a little    
respectful space kept empty around      
him--still stretched the poor little fat
 elderly man1 a pitiable sight4 ,his    
knees were bent1 his head wagged and    
drooped with extreme fatigue1 he was the
 colour of old blotting-paper2 but still
 he kept the tips of his two forefingers
 exactly twenty-five centimetres apart1 
well above his head1 and pressed against
 the wall of the ,credit ,lyonnais4     
',you will not match that with your     
aristocratic sentiment6' said the author
 of the scene in pardonable triumph4    
',i am not so sure1' answered the ,duke 
of ,sussex4 ,he pulled out his watch4   
',it is midnight1' he said1 'and ,i must
 be off2 but let me tell you before we  
part that you have paid for a most      
expensive dinner1 and have behaved all  
night with an extravagant deference     
under the impression that ,i was the    
,duke of ,sussex4 ,as a fact my name is 
,jerks1 and ,i am a commercial traveller

 in the linseed oil line2 and ,i wish   
you the best of good evenings4'  ',wait 
a moment1' said the ,man in the ,big    
,fur ,coat2 'my theory of the ,simple   
,human ,sense of ,authority still holds4
 ,i am a detective officer1 and you will
 both be good enough to follow me to the
 police station4'  ,and so they did1 and
 the ,engineer was fined fifty francs in
 correctional1 and the ,duke of ,sussex 
was imprisoned for ten days1 with       
interdiction of domicile for six months2
 the first indeed under the             
,prefectorial ,decree of the #ahth of   
,november #ahdc1 but the second under   
the law of the #abth germinal of the    
year ,,viii4  ,in this way ,i have got  
over between twenty and thirty miles of 
road which were tramped in the dark1 and
 the description of which would have    
plagued you worse than a swarm of       
hornets4  ,oh1 blessed interlude6 no    
struggling moon1 no mist1 no long-winded
 passages upon the genial earth1 no the 
sense of the night1 no marvels of the   

dawn1 no rhodomontade1 no religion1 no  
rhetoric1 no sleeping villages1 no      
silent towns 7there was one71 no rustle 
of trees--just a short story1 and there 
you have a whole march covered as though
 a brigade had swung down it4 ,a new day
 has come1 and the sun has risen over   
the detestable parched hillocks of this 
downward way4  ,no1 no1 ,lector6 ,do not
 blame me that ,tuscany should have     
passed beneath me unnoticed1 as the     
monotonous sea passes beneath a boat in 
full sail4 ,blame all those days of     
marching2 hundreds upon hundreds of     
miles that exhausted the powers of the  
mind4 ,blame the fiery and angry sky of 
,etruria1 that compelled most of my way 
to be taken at night4 ,blame ,st        
,augustine1 who misled me in his        
,confessions by talking like an ,african
 of 'the icy shores of ,italy'2 or blame
 ,rome1 that now more and more drew me  
to ,herself as ,she approached from six 
to five1 from five to four1 from four to
 three--now ,she was but three days off4

 ,the third sun after that ,i now saw   
rising would shine upon the ,city4  ,i  
did indeed go forward a little in the   
heat1 but it was useless4 ,after an hour
 ,i abandoned it4 ,it was not so much   
the sun1 though that was intemperate and
 deadly2 it was rather the inhuman      
aspect of the earth which made me       
despair4 ,it was as though the soil had 
been left imperfect and rough after some
 cataclysm2 it reminded me of those bad 
lands in the west of ,america1 where the
 desert has no form1 and where the      
crumbling and ashy look of things is    
more abhorrent than their mere          
desolation4 ,as soon march through evil 
dreams6  ,the north is the place for    
men4 ,eden was there2 and the four      
rivers of ,paradise are the ,seine1 the 
,oise1 the ,thames1 and the ,arun2 there
 are grasses there1 and the trees are   
generous1 and the air is an unnoticed   
pleasure4 ,the waters brim up to the    
edges of the fields4 ,but for this bare 
,tuscany ,i was never made4  ,how far ,i

 had gone ,i could not tell1 nor        
precisely how much farther ,san         
,quirico1 the neighbouring town1 might  
be4 ,the imperfect map ,i had bought at 
,siena was too minute to give me clear  
indications4 ,i was content to wait for 
evening1 and then to go on till ,i found
 it4 ,an hour or so in the shade of a   
row of parched and dusty bushes ,i lay  
and ate and drank my wine1 and smoked1  
and then all day ,i slept1 and woke a   
while1 and slept again more deeply4 ,but
 how people sleep and wake1 if you do   
not yet know it after so much of this   
book you never will4  ,it was perhaps   
five o'clock1 or rather more1 when ,i   
rose unhappily and took up the ceaseless
 road4  ,even the goodness of the       
,italian nature seemed parched up in    
those dry hollows4 ,at an inn where ,i  
ate they shouted at me1 thinking in that
 way to make me understand2 and their   
voices were as harsh as the grating of  
metal against stone4 ,a mile farther ,i 
crossed a lonely line of railway2 then  

my map told me where ,i was1 and ,i went
 wearily up an indefinite slope under   
the declining sun1 and thought it       
outrageous that only when the light had 
gone was there any tolerable air in this
 country4  ,soon the walls of ,san      
,quirico1 partly ruinous1 stood above   
the fields 7for the smallest places here
 have walls72 as ,i entered its gate the
 sun set1 and as though the cool1 coming
 suddenly1 had a magic in it1 everything
 turned kinder4 ,a church that could    
wake interest stood at the entry of the 
town2 it had stone lions on its steps1  
and the pillars were so carved as to    
resemble knotted ropes4 ,there for the  
first time ,i saw in procession one of  
those confraternities which in ,italy   
bury the dead2 they had long and        
dreadful hoods over their heads1 with   
slits for the eyes4 ,i spoke to the     
people of ,san ,quirico1 and they to me4
 ,they were upstanding1 and very fine   
and noble in the lines of the face4 ,on 
their walls is set a marble tablet1 on  

which it is registered that the people  
of ,tuscany1 being asked whether they   
would have their hereditary ,duke or the
 ,house of ,savoy1 voted for the latter 
by such and such a great majority2 and  
this kind of tablet ,i afterwards found 
was common to all these small towns4    
,then passing down their long street ,i 
came1 at the farther gate1 to a great   
sight1 which the twilight still         
permitted me to receive in its entirety4
  ,for ,san ,quirico is built on the    
edge of a kind of swell in the land1 and
 here where ,i stood one looked over the
 next great wave2 for the shape of the  
view was1 on a vast scale1 just what one
 sees from a lonely boat looking forward
 over a following sea4  ,the trough of  
the wave was a shallow purple valley1   
its arid quality hidden by the kindly   
glimmer of evening2 few trees stood in  
it to break its sweep1 and its          
irregularities and mouldings were just  
those of a sweep of water after a gale4 
,the crest of the wave beyond was       

seventeen miles away4 ,it had1 as have  
also such crests at sea1 one highest1   
toppling peak in its long line1 and     
this1 against the clear sky1 one could  
see to be marked by buildings4 ,these   
buildings were the ruined castle and    
walls of ,radicofani1 and it lay        
straight on my way to ,rome4  ,it is a  
strange thing1 arresting northern eyes1 
to see towns thus built on summits up   
into the sky1 and this height seemed the
 more fantastic because it was framed4  
,a row of cypress trees stood on either 
side of the road where it fell from ,san
 ,quirico1 and1 exactly between these1  
this high crest1 a long way off1 was set
 as though by design4  ,with more heart 
in me1 and tempted by such an outline as
 one might be by the prospect of        
adventure1 ,i set out to cross the great
 bare run of the valley4 ,as ,i went1   
the mountain of ,amiato came more and   
more nearly abreast of me in the west2  
in its foothills near me were ravines   
and unexpected rocks2 upon one of them  

hung a village4 ,i watched its church   
and one tall cypress next it1 as they   
stood black against the last of         
daylight4 ,then for miles ,i went on the
 dusty way1 and crossed by old bridges  
watercourses in which stood nothing but 
green pools2 and the night deepened4    
,it was when ,i had crossed the greater 
part of the obscure plain1 at its lowest
 dip and not far from the climb up to   
,radicofani1 that ,i saw lights shining 
in a large farmhouse1 and though it was 
my business to walk by night1 yet ,i    
needed companionship1 so ,i went in4    
,there in a very large room1 floored    
with brick and lit by one candle1 were  
two fine old peasants1 with faces like  
apostles1 playing a game of cards4      
,there also was a woman playing with a  
strong boy child1 that could not yet    
talk3 and the child ran up to me4       
,nothing could persuade the master of   
the house but that ,i was a very poor   
man who needed sleep1 and so good and   
generous was this old man that my       

protests seemed to him nothing but the  
excuses and shame of poverty4 ,he asked 
me where ,i was going4 ,i said1 ',to    
,rome4' ,he came out with a lantern to  
the stable1 and showed me there a manger
 full of hay1 indicating that ,i might  
sleep in it444 ,his candle flashed upon 
the great silent oxen standing in rows2 
their enormous horns1 three times the   
length of what we know in ,england1     
filled me with wonder444 ,well6 7may it 
count to me as gain671 rather than seem 
to offend him ,i lay down in that       
manger1 though ,i had no more desire to 
sleep than has the flittermouse in our  
,sussex gloamings2 also ,i was careful  
to offer no money1 for that is          
brutality4 ,when he had left me ,i took 
the opportunity for a little rest1 and  
lay on my back in the hay wide-awake and
 staring at darkness4  ,the great oxen  
champed and champed their food with a   
regular sound2 ,i remembered the        
steerage in a liner1 the noise of the   
sea and the regular screw1 for this it  

exactly resembled4 ,i considered in the 
darkness the noble aspect of these      
beasts as ,i had seen them in the       
lantern light1 and ,i determined when ,i
 got to ,rome to buy two such horns1 and
 to bring them to ,england and have them
 mounted for drinking horns--great      
drinking horns1 a yard deep--and to get 
an engraver to engrave a motto for each4
 ,on the first ,i would have--    ,king 
,alfred was in ,wantage born   ,he drank
 out of a ram's horn4   ,here is a      
better man than he1   ,who drinks       
deeper1 as you see4  ,thus my friends   
drinking out of it should lift up their 
hearts and no longer be oppressed with  
humility4 ,but on the second ,i         
determined for a rousing ,latin thing1  
such as men shouted round camp fires in 
the year #hhh or thereabouts2 so1 the   
imagination fairly set going and taking 
wood-cock's flight1 snipe-fashion1      
zigzag and devil-may-care-              
for-the-rules1 this seemed to suit me-- 
,salve1 cornu cornuum6   ,cornutorum vis

 ,boum4   ,munus excellent ,deum6       
,gregis o praesidium6   ,sitis          
desiderium6   ,dignum cornuum cornu     
,romae memor salve tu6   ,tibi cornuum  
cornuto--  ,,lector4 ,that means        
nothing4  ,,auctor4 ,shut up6    ,tibi  
cornuum cornuto   ,tibi clamo1 te saluto
   ,salve cornu cornuum6   ,fortunatam  
da ,domunt6  ,and after this cogitation 
and musing ,i got up quietly1 so as not 
to offend the peasant3 and ,i crept out1
 and so upwards on to the crest of the  
hill4  ,but when1 after several miles of
 climbing1 ,i neared the summit1 it was 
already beginning to be light4 ,the     
bareness and desert grey of the distance
 ,i had crossed stood revealed in a     
colourless dawn1 only the ,mont'        
,amiata1 now somewhat to the northward1 
was more gentle1 and softened the scene 
with distant woods4 ,between it and this
 height ran a vague river-bed as dry as 
the stones of a salt beach4  ,the sun   
rose as ,i passed under the ruined walls
 of the castle4 ,in the little town     

itself1 early as was the hour1 many     
people were stirring4 ,one gave me      
good-morning--a man of singular         
character1 for here1 in the very peep of
 day1 he was sitting on a doorstep1     
idle1 lazy and contented1 as though it  
was full noon4 ,another was yoking oxen2
 a third going out singing to work in   
the fields4  ,i did not linger in this  
crow's nest1 but going out by the low   
and aged southern gate1 another deeper  
valley1 even drier and more dead than   
the last1 appeared under the rising sun4
 ,it was enough to make one despair6    
,and when ,i thought of the day's sleep 
in that wilderness1 of the next night's 
toil through it--  ,,lector4 ,what about
 the ,brigand of ,radicofani of whom you
 spoke in ,lorraine1 and of whom ,i am  
waiting to hear8  ,,auctor4 ,what about 
him8 ,why1 he was captured long ago1 and
 has since died of old age4 ,i am       
surprised at your interrupting me with  
such questions4  ,pray ask for no more  
tales till we get to the really         

absorbing story of the ,hungry ,student4
  ,well1 as ,i was saying1 ,i was in    
some despair at the sight of that       
valley1 which had to be crossed before  
,i could reach the town of              
,acquapendente1 or ,hanging-water1 which
 ,i knew to lie somewhere on the hills  
beyond4 ,the sun was conquering me1 and 
,i was looking hopelessly for a place to
 sleep1 when a cart drawn by two oxen at
 about one mile an hour came creaking   
by4 ,the driver was asleep1 his head on 
the shady side4 ,the devil tempted me1  
and without one struggle against        
temptation1 nay with cynical and        
congratulatory feelings1 ,i jumped up   
behind1 and putting my head also on the 
shady side 7there were soft sacks for a 
bed7 ,i very soon was pleasantly asleep4
  ,we lay side by side for hour after   
hour1 and the day rose on to noon2 the  
sun beat upon our feet1 but our heads   
were in the shade and we slept heavily a
 good and honest sleep3 he thinking that
 he was alone1 but ,i knowing that ,i   

was in company 7a far preferable thing71
 and ,i was right and he was wrong4 ,and
 the heat grew1 and sleep came out of   
that hot sun more surely than it does   
out of the night air in the north4 ,but 
no dreams wander under the noon4  ,from 
time to time one or the other of us     
would open our eyes drowsily and wonder1
 but sleep was heavy on us both1 and our
 minds were sunk in calm like old hulls 
in the dark depths of the sea where     
there are no storms4  ,we neither of us 
really woke until1 at the bottom of the 
hill which rises into ,acquapendente1   
the oxen stopped4 ,this halt woke us up2
 first me and then my companion4 ,he    
looked at me a moment and laughed4 ,he  
seemed to have thought all this while   
that ,i was some country friend of his  
who had taken a lift2 and ,i1 for my    
part1 had made more or less certain that
 he was a good fellow who would do me no
 harm4 ,i was right1 and he was wrong4  
,i knew not what offering to make him to
 compensate him for this trouble which  

his heavy oxen had taken4 ,after some   
thought ,i brought a cigar out of my    
pocket1 which he smoked with extreme    
pleasure4 ,the oxen meanwhile had been  
urged up the slow hill1 and it was in   
this way that we reached the famous town
 of ,acquapendente4 ,but why it should  
be called famous is more than ,i can    
understand4 ,it may be that in one of   
those narrow streets there is a picture 
or a church1 or one of those things     
which so attract unbelieving men4 ,to   
the pilgrim it is simply a group of     
houses4 ,into one of these ,i went1 and1
 upon my soul1 ,i have nothing to say of
 it except that they furnished me with  
food4  ,i do not pretend to have counted
 the flies1 though they were numerous2  
and1 even had ,i done so1 what interest 
would the number have1 save to the      
statisticians8 ,now as these are patient
 men and foolish1 ,i heartily recommend 
them to go and count the flies for      
themselves4  ,leaving this meal then1   
this town and this people 7which were   

all of a humdrum sort71 and going out by
 the gate1 the left side of which is    
made up of a church1 ,i went a little   
way on the short road to ,san ,lorenzo1 
but ,i had no intention of going far1   
for 7as you know by this time7 the night
 had become my day and the day my night4
  ,i found a stream running very        
sluggish between tall trees1 and this   
sight sufficiently reminded me of my own
 country to permit repose4 ,lying down  
there ,i slept till the end of the day1 
or rather to that same time of evening  
which had now become my usual waking    
hour444 ,and now tell me1 ,lector1 shall
 ,i leave out altogether1 or shall ,i   
give you some description of1 the next  
few miles to ,san ,lorenzo8  ,,lector4  
,why1 if ,i were you ,i would put the   
matter shortly and simply1 for it is the
 business of one describing a pilgrimage
 or any other matter not to puff himself
 up with vain conceit1 nor to be always 
picking about for picturesque           
situations1 but to set down plainly and 

shortly what he has seen and heard1     
describing the whole matter4  ,,auctor4 
,but remember1 ,lector1 that the artist 
is known not only by what he puts in but
 by what he leaves out4  ,,lector4 ,that
 is all very well for the artist1 but   
you have no business to meddle with such
 people4  ,,auctor4 ,how then would you 
write such a book if you had the writing
 of it8  ,,lector4 ,i would not         
introduce myself at all2 ,i would not   
tell stories at random1 nor go in for   
long descriptions of emotions1 which ,i 
am sure other men have felt as well as  
,i4 ,i would be careful to visit those  
things my readers had already heard of  
7,,auctor4 ,the pictures6 the remarkable
 pictures6 ,all that is meant by        
culture6 ,the brown photographs6 ,oh6   
,lector1 indeed ,i have done you a      
wrong671 and ,i would certainly not have
 the bad taste to say anything upon     
religion4 ,above all1 ,i would be terse4
  ,,auctor4 ,i see4 ,you would not pile 
words one on the other1 qualifying1     

exaggerating1 conditioning1             
superlativing1 diminishing1 connecting1 
amplifying1 condensing1 mouthing1 and   
glorifying the mere sound3 you would be 
terse4 ,you should be known for your    
self-restraint4 ,there should be no     
verbosity in your style 7,god forbid671 
still less pomposity1 animosity1        
curiosity1 or ferocity2 you would have  
it neat1 exact1 and scholarly1 and1     
above all1 chiselled to the nail4 ,a fig
 7say you71 the pip of a fig1 for the   
rambling style4 ,you would be led into  
no hilarity1 charity1 vulgarity1 or     
barbarity4 ,eh6 my jolly ,lector8 ,you  
would simply say what you had to say8   
,,lector4 ,precisely2 ,i would say a    
plain thing in a plain way4  ,,auctor4  
,so you think one can say a plain thing 
in a plain way8 ,you think that words   
mean nothing more than themselves1 and  
that you can talk without ellipsis1 and 
that customary phrases have not their   
connotations8 ,you think that1 do you8  
,listen then to the tale of ,mr         

,benjamin ,franklin ,hard1 a kindly     
merchant of ,cincinnati1 ,o41 who had no
 particular religion1 but who had       
accumulated a fortune of six hundred    
thousand dollars1 and who had a horror  
of breaking the ,sabbath4 ,he was not 'a
 kind husband and a good father1' for he
 was unmarried2 nor had he any children4
 ,but he was all that those words       
connote4  ,this man ,hard at the age of 
fifty-four retired from business1 and   
determined to treat himself to a visit  
to ,europe4 ,he had not been in ,europe 
five weeks before he ran bang up against
 the ,catholic ,church4 ,he was never   
more surprised in his life4 ,i do not   
mean that ,i have exactly weighed all   
his surprises all his life through4 ,i  
mean that he was very much surprised    
indeed--and that is all that these words
 connote4  ,he studied the ,catholic    
,church with extreme interest4 ,he      
watched ,high ,mass at several places   
7hoping it might be different74 ,he     
thought it was what it was not1 and     

then1 contrariwise1 he thought it was   
not what it was4 ,he talked to poor     
,catholics1 rich ,catholics1            
middle-class ,catholics1 and elusive1   
wellborn1 penniless1 neatly dressed1    
successful ,catholics2 also to pompous1 
vain ,catholics2 humble1 uncertain      
,catholics2 sneaking1 pad-footed        
,catholics2 healthy1 howling1 combative 
,catholics2 doubtful1                   
shoulder-shrugging1 but devout          
,catholics2 fixed1 crabbed1 and         
dangerous ,catholics2 easy1 jovial1 and 
shone-upon-by-the-heavenly-light        
,catholics2 subtle ,catholics2 strange  
,catholics1 and 7quod tibi manifeste    
absurdum videtur7 intellectual1         
pince-nez1 jejune1 twisted1 analytical1 
yellow1 cranky1 and introspective       
,catholics3 in fine1 he talked to all   
,catholics4  ,and when ,i say 'all      
,catholics' ,i do not mean that he      
talked to every individual ,catholic1   
but that he got a good1 integrative grip
 of the ,church militant1 which is all  

that the words connote4  ,well1 this man
 ,hard got to know1 among others1 a     
certain good priest that loved a good   
bottle of wine1 a fine deep dish of     
poulet a la casserole1 and a kind of egg
 done with cream in a little platter2   
and eating such things1 this priest said
 to him one day3 ',mr ,hard1 what you   
want is to read some books on           
,catholicism4' ,and ,hard1 who was on   
the point of being received into the    
,church as the final solution of human  
difficulties1 thought it would be a very
 good thing to instruct his mind before 
baptism4  ,so he gave the priest a note 
to a bookseller whom an ,american friend
 had told him of2 and this ,american    
friend had said3  ',you will find ,mr   
,fingle 7for such was the bookseller's  
name7 a hard-headed1 honest1 business   
man4 ,he can say a plain thing in a     
plain way4'  ',here1' said ,mr ,hard to 
the priest1 'is ten pounds4 ,send it to 
this bookseller ,fingle and he shall    
choose books on ,catholicism to that    

amount1 and you shall receive them1 and 
,i will come and read them here with    
you4'  ,so the priest sent the money1   
and in four days the books came1 and ,mr
 ,hard and the priest opened the        
package1 and these were the books       
inside3  ,auricular ,confession3 a      
,history4 ,by a ,brand ,saved from the  
,burning4  ,isabella2 or1 ,the ,little  
,female ,jesuit4 ,by ',hephzibah'4      
,elisha ,mac,nab3 a ,tale of the ,french
 ,huguenots4  ,england and ,rome4 ,by   
the ,rev4 ,ebenezer ,catchpole of       
,emmanuel1 ,birmingham4  ,nuns and      
,nunneries4 ,by ',ruth'1 with a ,preface
 by ,miss ,carran1 lately rescued from a
 ,canadian ,convent4  ,history of the   
,inquisition4 ,by ,llorente4  ,the      
,beast with ,seven ,heads2 or1 the      
,apocalyptical ,warning4  ,no ,truce    
with the ,vatican4  ,the ,true ,cause of
 ,irish ,disaffection4  ,decline of the 
,latin ,nations4  ,anglo-,saxons the    
,chosen ,race1 and their connexion with 
the ,ten ,lost ,tribes3 with a map4     

,finally1 a very large book at the      
bottom of the case called ,giant ,pope4 
,and it was no use asking for the money 
back or protesting4 ,mr ,fingle was an  
honest1 straightforward man1 who said a 
plain thing in a plain way4 ,they had   
left him to choose a suitable collection
 of books on ,catholicism1 and he had   
chosen the best he knew4 ,and thus did  
,mr ,hard 7who has recently given a     
hideous font to the new ,catholic church
 at ,bismarckville7 learn the importance
 of estimating what words connote4      
,,lector4 ,but all that does not excuse 
an intolerable prolixity8  ,,auctor4    
,neither did ,i say it did1 dear        
,lector4 ,my object was merely to get   
you to ,san ,lorenzo where ,i bought    
that wine1 and where1 going out of the  
gate on the south1 ,i saw suddenly the  
wide lake of ,bolsena all below4  ,it is
 a great sheet like a sea2 but as one   
knows one is on a high plateau1 and as  
there is but a short dip down to it2 as 
it is round and has all about it a rim  

of low even hills1 therefore one knows  
it for an old and gigantic crater now   
full of pure water2 and there are       
islands in it and palaces on the        
islands4 ,indeed it was an impression of
 silence and recollection1 for the water
 lay all upturned to heaven1 and1 in the
 sky above me1 the moon at her quarter  
hung still pale in the daylight1 waiting
 for glory4  ,i sat on the coping of a  
wall1 drank a little of my wine1 ate a  
little bread and sausage2 but still song
 demanded some outlet in the cool       
evening1 and companionship was more of  
an appetite in me than landscape4       
,please ,god1 ,i had become southern and
 took beauty for granted4  ,anyhow1     
seeing a little two-wheeled cart come   
through the gate1 harnessed to a        
ramshackle little pony1 bony and hard1  
and driven by a little1 brown1 smiling1 
and contented old fellow with black     
hair1 ,i made a sign to him and he      
stopped4  ,this time there was no       
temptation of the devil2 if anything the

 advance was from my side4 ,i was       
determined to ride1 and ,i sprang up    
beside the driver4  ,we raced down the  
hill1 clattering and banging and        
rattling like a piece of ordnance1 and  
he1 my brother1 unasked began to sing4  
,i sang in turn4 ,he sang of ,italy1 ,i 
of four countries3 ,america1 ,france1   
,england1 and ,ireland4 ,i could not    
understand his songs nor he mine1 but   
there was wine in common between us1 and
 salami and a merry heart1 bread which  
is the bond of all mankind1 and that    
prime solution of ill-ease--,i mean the 
forgetfulness of money4  ,that was a    
good drive1 an honest drive1 a human    
aspiring drive1 a drive of ,christians1 
a glorifying and uplifted drive1 a drive
 worthy of remembrance for ever4 ,the   
moon has shone on but few like it though
 she is old2 the lake of ,bolsena has   
glittered beneath none like it since the
 ,etruscans here unbended after the     
solemnities of a triumph4 ,it broke my  
vow to pieces2 there was not a shadow of

 excuse for this use of wheels3 it was  
done openly and wantonly in the face of 
the wide sky for pleasure4 ,and what is 
there else but pleasure1 and to what    
else does beauty move on8 ,not ,i hope  
to contemplation6 ,a hideous oriental   
trick6 ,no1 but to loud notes and       
comradeship and the riot of galloping1  
and laughter ringing through old trees4 
,who would change 7says ,aristippus of  
,pslinthon7 the moon and all the stars  
for so much wine as can be held in the  
cup of a bottle upturned8 ,the honest   
man6 ,and in his time 7note you7 they   
did not make the devilish deep and      
fraudulent bottoms they do now that     
cheat you of half your liquor4          
,moreover if ,i broke my vows 7which is 
a serious matter71 and if ,i neglected  
to contemplate the heavens 7for which   
neglect ,i will confess to no one1 not  
even to a postulate sub-deacon2 it is no
 sin2 it is a healthy omission71 if 7,i 
say7 ,i did this1 ,i did what peasants  
do4 ,and what is more1 by drinking wine 

and eating pig we proved ourselves no   
,mohammedans2 and on such as he is sure 
of1 ,st ,peter looks with a kindly eye4 
,now1 just at the very entry to         
,bolsena1 when we had followed the      
lovely lake some time1 my driver halted 
and began to turn up a lane to a farm or
 villa2 so ,i1 bidding him good-night1  
crossed a field and stood silent by the 
lake and watched for a long time the    
water breaking on a tiny shore1 and the 
pretty miniatures of waves4 ,i stood    
there till the stars came out and the   
moon shone fully2 then ,i went towards  
,bolsena under its high gate which      
showed in the darkness1 and under its   
castle on the rock4 ,there1 in a large  
room which was not quite an inn1 a woman
 of great age and dignity served me with
 fried fish from the lake1 and the men  
gathered round me and attempted to tell 
me of the road to ,rome1 while ,i in    
exchange made out to them as much by    
gestures as by broken words the crossing
 of the ,alps and the ,apennines4       

,then1 after my meal1 one of the men    
told me ,i needed sleep2 that there were
 no rooms in that house 7as ,i said1 it 
was not an inn71 but that across the way
 he would show me one he had for hire4  
,i tried to say that my plan was to walk
 by night4 ,they all assured me he would
 charge me a reasonable sum4  ,i        
insisted that the day was too hot for   
walking4 ,they told me1 did these       
,etruscans1 that ,i need fear no        
extortion from so honest a man4         
,certainly it is not easy to make       
everybody understand everything1 and ,i 
had had experience already up in the    
mountains1 days before1 of how important
 it is not to be misunderstood when one 
is wandering in a foreign country1 poor 
and ill-clad4 ,i therefore accepted the 
offer1 and1 what was really very much to
 my regret1 ,i paid the money he        
demanded4 ,i even so far fell in with   
the spirit of the thing as to sleep a   
certain number of hours 7for after all1 
my sleep that day in the cart had been  

very broken1 and instead of resting     
throughout the whole of the heat ,i had 
taken a meal at ,acquapendente74 ,but ,i
 woke up not long after                 
midnight--perhaps between one and two   
o'clock--and went out along the borders 
of the lake4  ,the moon had set2 ,i wish
 ,i could have seen her hanging at the  
quarter in the clear sky of that high   
crater1 dipping into the rim of its     
inland sea4  ,it was perceptibly cold4  
,i went on the road quite slowly1 till  
it began to climb1 and when the day     
broke ,i found myself in a sunken lane  
leading up to the town of               
,montefiascone4  ,the town lay on its   
hill in the pale but growing light4 ,a  
great dome gave it dignity1 and a castle
 overlooked the lake4 ,it was built upon
 the very edge and lip of the           
volcano-cup commanding either side4  ,i 
climbed up this sunken lane towards it1 
not knowing what might be beyond1 when1 
at the crest1 there shone before me in  
the sunrise one of those unexpected and 

united landscapes which are among the   
glories of ,italy4 ,they have changed   
the very mind in a hundred northern     
painters1 when men travelled hither to  
,rome to learn their art1 and coming in 
by her mountain roads saw1 time and     
again1 the set views of plains like     
gardens1 surrounded by sharp            
mountain-land and framed4  ,the road did
 not pass through the town2 the grand   
though crumbling gate of entry lay up a 
short straight way to the right1 and    
below1 where the road continued down the
 slope1 was a level of some eight miles 
full of trees diminishing in distance4  
,at its further side an ample mountain1 
wooded1 of gentle flattened outline1 but
 high and majestic1 barred the way to   
,rome4 ,it was yet another of those     
volcanoes1 fruitful after death1 which  
are the mark of ,latium3 and it held    
hidden1 as did that larger and more     
confused one on the rim of which ,i     
stood1 a lake in its silent crater4 ,but
 that lake1 as ,i was to find1 was far  

smaller than the glittering sea of      
,bolsena1 whose shores now lay behind   
me4  ,the distance and the hill that    
bounded it should in that climate have  
stood clear in the pure air1 but it was 
yet so early that a thin haze hung over 
the earth1 and the sun had not yet      
controlled it3 it was even chilly4 ,i   
could not catch the towers of ,viterbo1 
though ,i knew them to stand at the foot
 of the far mountain4 ,i went down the  
road1 and in half-an-hour or so was     
engaged upon the straight line crossing 
the plain4  ,i wondered a little how the
 road would lie with regard to the town1
 and looked at my map for guidance1 but 
it told me little4 ,it was too general1 
taking in all central ,italy1 and even  
large places were marked only by small  
circles4  ,when ,i approached ,viterbo  
,i first saw an astonishing wall1       
perpendicular to my road1 untouched1 the
 bones of the ,middle ,ages4 ,it stood  
up straight before one like a range of  
cliffs1 seeming much higher than it     

should2 its hundred feet or so were     
exaggerated by the severity of its      
stones and by their sheer fall4 ,for    
they had no ornament whatever1 and few  
marks of decay1 though many of age4     
,tall towers1 exactly square and equally
 bare of carving or machicolation1 stood
 at intervals along this forbidding     
defence and flanked its curtain4 ,then  
nearer by1 one saw that it was not a    
huge castle1 but the wall of a city1 for
 at a corner it went sharp round to     
contain the town1 and through one uneven
 place ,i saw houses4 ,many men were    
walking in the roads alongside these    
walls1 and there were gates pierced in  
them whereby the citizens went in and   
out of the city as bees go in and out of
 the little opening in a hive4  ,but my 
main road to ,rome did not go through   
,viterbo1 it ran alongside of the       
eastern wall1 and ,i debated a little   
with myself whether ,i would go in or   
no4 ,it was out of my way1 and ,i had   
not entered ,montefiascone for that     

reason4 ,on the other hand1 ,viterbo was
 a famous place4 ,it is all very well to
 neglect ,florence and ,pisa because    
they are some miles off the straight    
way1 but ,viterbo right under one's hand
 it is a pity to miss4 ,then ,i needed  
wine and food for the later day in the  
mountain4 ,yet1 again1 it was getting   
hot4 ,it was past eight1 the mist had   
long ago receded1 and ,i feared delay4  
,so ,i mused on the white road under the
 tall towers and dead walls of ,viterbo1
 and ruminated on an unimportant thing4 
,then curiosity did what reason could   
not do1 and ,i entered by a gate4  ,the 
streets were narrow1 tortuous1 and      
alive1 all shaded by the great houses1  
and still full of the cold of the night4
 ,the noise of fountains echoed in them1
 and the high voices of women and the   
cries of sellers4  ,every house had in  
it something fantastic and peculiar2    
humanity had twined into this place like
 a natural growth1 and the separate     
thoughts of men1 both those that were   

alive there and those dead before them1 
had decorated it all4 ,there were       
courtyards with blinding whites of      
sunlit walls above1 themselves in       
shadow2 and there were many carvings and
 paintings over doors4 ,i had come into 
a great living place after the          
loneliness of the road4  ,there1 in the 
first wide street ,i could find1 ,i     
bought sausage and bread and a great    
bottle of wine1 and then quitting       
,viterbo1 ,i left it by the same gate   
and took the road4  ,for a long while   
yet ,i continued under the walls1 noting
 in one place a thing peculiar to the   
,middle ,ages1 ,i mean the apse of a    
church built right into the wall as the 
old ,cathedral of ,st ,stephen's was in 
,paris4 ,these1 ,i suppose1 enemies     
respected if they could2 for ,i have    
noticed also that in castles the chapel 
is not hidden1 but stands out from the  
wall4 ,so be it4  ,your fathers and mine
 were there in the fighting1 but we do  
not know their names1 and ,i trust and  

hope yours spared the altars as         
carefully as mine did4  ,the road began 
to climb the hill1 and though the heat  
increased--for in ,italy long before    
nine it is glaring noon to us           
northerners 7and that reminds me3 your  
fathers and mine1 to whom allusion has  
been made above as they say in the dull 
history books--,,lector4 ,how many more 
interior brackets are we to have8 ,is   
this algebra8 ,,auctor4 ,you yourself1  
,lector1 are responsible for the worst4 
your fathers and mine coming down into  
this country to fight1 as was their     
annual custom1 must have had a plaguy   
time of it1 when you think that they    
could not get across the ,alps till     
summer-time1 and then had to hack and   
hew1 and thrust and dig1 and slash and  
climb1 and charge and puff1 and blow and
 swear1 and parry and receive1 and aim  
and dodge1 and butt and run for their   
lives at the end1 under an unaccustomed 
sun4 ,no wonder they saw visions1 the   
dear people6 ,they are dead now1 and we 

do not even know their names47--,where  
was ,i8  ,,lector4 ,you were at the     
uninteresting remark that the heat was  
increasing4  ,,auctor4 ,precisely4 ,i   
remember4 ,well1 the heat was           
increasing1 but it seemed far more      
bearable than it had been in the earlier
 places2 in the oven of the ,garfagnana 
or in the deserts of ,siena4 ,for with  
the first slopes of the mountain a      
forest of great chestnut trees appeared1
 and it was so cool under these that    
there was even moss1 as though ,i were  
back again in my own country where there
 are full rivers in summer-time1 deep   
meadows1 and all the completion of home4
  ,also the height may have begun to    
tell on the air1 but not much1 for when 
the forest was behind me1 and when ,i   
had come to a bare heath sloping more   
gently upwards--a glacis in front of the
 topmost bulwark of the round           
mountain--- ,i was oppressed with       
thirst1 and though it was not too hot to
 sing 7for ,i sang1 and two lonely      

carabinieri passed me singing1 and we   
recognized as we saluted each other that
 the mountain was full of songs71 yet ,i
 longed for a bench1 a flagon1 and      
shade4  ,and as ,i longed1 a little     
house appeared1 and a woman in the shade
 sewing1 and an old man4 ,also a bench  
and a table1 and a tree over it4 ,there 
,i sat down and drank white wine and    
water many times4 ,the woman charged me 
a halfpenny1 and the old man would not  
talk4 ,he did not take his old age      
garrulously4 ,it was his business1 not  
mine2 but ,i should dearly have liked to
 have talked to him in ,lingua ,franca1 
and to have heard him on the story of   
his mountain3 where it was haunted1 by  
what1 and on which nights it was        
dangerous to be abroad4 ,such as it was1
 there it was4 ,i left them1 and shall  
perhaps never see them again4  ,the road
 was interminable1 and the crest1 from  
which ,i promised myself the view of the
 crater-lake1 was always just before me1
 and was never reached4  ,a little      

spring1 caught in a hollow log1         
refreshed a meadow on the right4        
,drinking there again1 ,i wondered if ,i
 should go on or rest2 but ,i was full  
of antiquity1 and a memory in the blood1
 or what not1 impelled me to see the    
lake in the crater before ,i went to    
sleep3 after a few hundred yards this   
obsession was satisfied4  ,i passed     
between two banks1 where the road had   
been worn down at the crest of the      
volcano's rim2 then at once1 far below1 
in a circle of silent trees with here   
and there a vague shore of marshy land1 
,i saw the ,pond of ,venus3 some miles  
of brooding water1 darkened by the dark 
slopes around it4 ,its darkness recalled
 the dark time before the dawn of our   
saved and happy world4  ,at its hither  
end a hill1 that had once been a cone in
 the crater1 stood out all covered with 
a dense wood4 ,it was the ,hill of      
,venus4  ,there was no temple1 nor no   
sacrifice1 nor no ritual for the        
,divinity1 save this solemn attitude of 

perennial silence2 but under the        
influence which still remained and gave 
the place its savour1 it was impossible 
to believe that the gods were dead4     
,there were no men in that hollow2 nor  
was there any memory of men1 save of men
 dead these thousands of years4 ,there  
was no life of visible things4 ,the mind
 released itself and was in touch with  
whatever survives of conquered but      
immortal ,spirits4  ,thus ready for     
worship1 and in a mood of adoration2    
filled also with the genius which       
inhabits its native place and is too    
subtle or too pure to suffer the effect 
of time1 ,i passed down the ridge-way of
 the mountain rim1 and came to the edge 
overlooking that arena whereon was first
 fought out and decided the chief       
destiny of the world4  ,for all below   
was the ,campagna4 ,names that are at   
the origin of things attached to every  
cleft and distant rock beyond the       
spreading level1 or sanctified the      
gleams of rivers4 ,there below me was   

,veii2 beyond1 in the ,wall of the      
,apennines1 only just escaped from      
clouds1 was ,tibur that dignified the   
ravine at the edge of their rising2 that
 crest to the right was ,tusculum1 and  
far to the south1 but clear1 on a       
mountain answering my own1 was the      
mother of the ,city1 ,alba ,longa4 ,the 
,tiber1 a dense1 brown fog rolling over 
and concealing it1 was the god of the   
wide plain4  ,there and at that moment  
,i should have seen the ,city4 ,i stood 
up on the bank and shaded my eyes1      
straining to catch the dome at least in 
the sunlight2 but ,i could not1 for     
,rome was hidden by the low ,sabinian   
hills4  ,soracte ,i saw there--,soracte1
 of which ,i had read as a boy4 ,it     
stood up like an acropolis1 but it was a
 citadel for no city4 ,it stood alone1  
like that soul which once haunted its   
recesses and prophesied the conquering  
advent of the northern kings4 ,i saw the
 fields where the tribes had lived that 
were the first enemies of the imperfect 

state1 before it gave its name to the   
fortunes of the ,latin race4  ,dark     
,etruria lay behind me1 forgotten in the
 backward of my march3 a furnace and a  
riddle out of which religion came to the
 ,romans--a place that has left no      
language4 ,but below me1 sunlit and easy
 7as it seemed in the cooler air of that
 summit71 was the arena upon which were 
first fought out the chief destinies of 
the world4  ,and ,i still looked down   
upon it1 wondering4  ,was it in so small
 a space that all the legends of one's  
childhood were acted8 ,was the defence  
of the bridge against so neighbouring   
and petty an alliance8 ,were they       
peasants of a group of huts that handed 
down the great inheritance of           
discipline1 and made an iron channel    
whereby1 even to us1 the antique virtues
 could descend as a living memory8 ,it  
must be so2 for the villages and ruins  
in one landscape comprised all the first
 generations of the history of ,rome4   
,the stones we admire1 the large spirit 

of the last expression came from that   
rough village and sprang from the broils
 of that one plain2 ,rome was most      
vigorous before it could speak4 ,so a   
man's verse1 and all he has1 are but the
 last outward appearance1 late and      
already rigid1 of an earlier1 more      
plastic1 and diviner fire4  ',upon this 
arena1' ,i still said to myself1 'were  
first fought out the chief destinies of 
the world'2 and so1 played upon by an   
unending theme1 ,i ate and drank in a   
reverie1 still wondering1 and then lay  
down beneath the shade of a little tree 
that stood alone upon that edge of a new
 world4 ,and wondering1 ,i fell asleep  
under the morning sun4  ,but this sleep 
was not like the earlier oblivions that 
had refreshed my ceaseless journey1 for 
,i still dreamt as ,i slept of what ,i  
was to see1 and visions of action       
without thought--pageants and           
mysteries--surrounded my spirit2 and    
across the darkness of a mind remote    
from the senses there passed whatever is

 wrapped up in the great name of ,rome4 
,when ,i woke the evening had come4 ,a  
haze had gathered upon the plain4 ,the  
road fell into ,ronciglione1 and dreams 
surrounded it upon every side4 ,for the 
energy of the body those hours of rest  
had made a fresh and enduring vigour2   
for the soul no rest was needed4 ,it had
 attained1 at least for the next hour1 a
 vigour that demanded only the physical 
capacity of endurance2 an eagerness     
worthy of such great occasions found a  
marching vigour for its servant4  ,in   
,ronciglione ,i saw the things that     
,turner drew2 ,i mean the rocks from    
which a river springs1 and houses all   
massed together1 giving the steep a kind
 of crown4 ,this also accompanied that  
picture1 the soft light which mourns the
 sun and lends half-colours to the      
world4 ,it was cool1 and the opportunity
 beckoned4 ,i ate and drank1 asking     
every one questions of ,rome1 and ,i    
passed under their great gate and       
pursued the road to the plain4 ,in the  

mist1 as it rose1 there rose also a     
passion to achieve4  ,all the night     
long1 mile after mile1 ,i hurried along 
the ,cassian ,way4 ,for five days ,i had
 slept through the heat1 and the        
southern night had become my daytime2   
and though the mist was dense1 and      
though the moon1 now past her quarter1  
only made a vague place in heaven1 yet  
expectation and fancy took more than the
 place of sight4 ,in this fog ,i felt   
with every step of the night march the  
approach to the goal4  ,long past the   
place ,i had marked as a halt1 long past
 ,sette ,vene1 a light blurred upon the 
white wreaths of vapour2 distant songs  
and the noise of men feasting ended what
 had been for many1 many hours--for more
 than twenty miles of pressing          
forward--an exaltation worthy of the    
influence that bred it4 ,then came on me
 again1 after the full march1 a         
necessity for food and for repose4 ,but 
these things1 which have been the matter
 of so much in this book1 now seemed    

subservient only to the reaching of an  
end2 they were left aside in the mind4  
,it was an inn with trellis outside     
making an arbour4 ,in the yard before it
 many peasants sat at table2 their      
beasts and waggons stood in the roadway1
 though1 at this late hour1 men were    
feeding some and housing others4        
,within1 fifty men or more were making a
 meal or a carousal4  ,what feast or    
what necessity of travel made them keep 
the night alive ,i neither knew nor     
asked2 but passing almost unobserved    
amongst them between the long tables1 ,i
 took my place at the end1 and the      
master served me with good food and     
wine4 ,as ,i ate the clamour of the     
peasants sounded about me1 and ,i mixed 
with the energy of numbers4  ,with a    
little difficulty ,i made the master    
understand that ,i wished to sleep till 
dawn4 ,he led me out to a small granary 
7for the house was full71 and showed me 
where ,i should sleep in the scented    
hay4 ,he would take no money for such a 

lodging1 and left me after showing me   
how the door latched and unfastened2 and
 out of so many men1 he was the last man
 whom ,i thanked for a service until ,i 
passed the gates of ,rome4  ,above the  
soft bed which the hay made1 a square   
window1 unglazed1 gave upon the southern
 night2 the mist hardly drifted in or   
past it1 so still was the air4 ,i       
watched it for a while drowsily2 then   
sleep again fell on me4  ,but as ,i     
slept1 ,rome1 ,rome still beckoned me1  
and ,i woke in a struggling light as    
though at a voice calling1 and slipping 
out ,i could not but go on to the end4  
,the small square paving of the ,via    
,cassia1 all even like a palace floor1  
rang under my steps4 ,the parched banks 
and strips of dry fields showed through 
the fog 7for its dampness did not cure  
the arid soil of the ,campagna74 ,the   
sun rose and the vapour lifted4 ,then1  
indeed1 ,i peered through the thick     
air--but still ,i could see nothing of  
my goal1 only confused folds of brown   

earth and burnt-up grasses1 and farther 
off rare and un-northern trees4  ,i     
passed an old tower of the ,middle ,ages
 that was eaten away at its base by time
 or the quarrying of men2 ,i passed a   
divergent way on the right where a      
wooden sign said ',the ,triumphal ,way'1
 and ,i wondered whether it could be the
 road where ritual had once ordained    
that triumphs should go4 ,it seemed     
lonely and lost1 and divorced from any  
approach to sacred hills4  ,the road    
fell into a hollow where soldiers were  
manoeuvring4 ,even these could not      
arrest an attention that was fixed upon 
the approaching revelation4 ,the road   
climbed a little slope where a branch   
went off to the left1 and where there   
was a house and an arbour under vines4  
,it was now warm day2 trees of great    
height stood shading the sun2 the place 
had taken on an appearance of wealth and
 care4 ,the mist had gone before ,i     
reached the summit of the rise4  ,there1
 from the summit1 between the high villa

 walls on either side--at my very feet  
,i saw the ,city4  ,and now all you     
people whatsoever that are presently    
reading1 may have read1 or shall in the 
future read1 this my many-sided but     
now-ending book2 all you also that in   
the mysterious designs of ,providence   
may not be fated to read it for some    
very long time to come2 you then ,i say1
 entire1 englobed1 and universal race of
 men both in gross and regardant1 not   
only living and seeing the sunlight1 but
 dead also under the earth2 shades1 or  
to come in procession afterwards out of 
the dark places into the day for a      
little1 swarms of you1 an army without  
end2 all you black and white1 red1      
yellow and brown1 men1 women1 children  
and poets--all of you1 wherever you are 
now1 or have been1 or shall be in your  
myriads and deka myriads and hendeka    
myriads1 the time has come when ,i must 
bid you farewell--    ,ludisti satis1   
edisti satis1 atque bibisti2   ,tempus  
abire tibi est4444  ,only ,lector ,i    

keep by me for a very little while      
longer with a special purpose1 but even 
he must soon leave me2 for all good     
things come to an end1 and this book is 
coming to an end--has come to an end4   
,the leaves fall1 and they are renewed2 
the sun sets on the ,vexin hills1 but he
 rises again over the woods of ,marly4  
,human companionship once broken can    
never be restored1 and you and ,i shall 
not meet or understand each other again4
 ,it is so of all the poor links whereby
 we try to bridge the impassable gulf   
between soul and soul4 ,oh6 we spin     
something1 ,i know1 but it is very      
gossamer1 thin and strained1 and even if
 it does not snap time will at last     
dissolve it4  ,indeed1 there is a song  
on it which you should know1 and which  
runs--  ,bar of music  ,so my little    
human race1 both you that have read this
 book and you that have not1 good-bye in
 charity4 ,i loved you all as ,i wrote4 
,did you all love me as much as ,i have 
loved you1 by the black stone of ,rennes

 ,i should be rich by now4 ,indeed1     
indeed1 ,i have loved you all6 ,you1 the
 workers1 all puffed up and dyspeptic   
and ready for the asylums2 and you1 the 
good-for-nothing lazy drones2 you1 the  
strong silent men1 who have heads quite 
empty1 like gourds2 and you also1 the   
frivolous1 useless men that chatter and 
gabble to no purpose all day long4 ,even
 you1 that1 having begun to read this   
book1 could get no further than page    
#dg1 and especially you who have read it
 manfully in spite of the flesh1 ,i love
 you all1 and give you here and now my  
final1 complete1 full1 absolving1 and   
comfortable benediction4  ,to tell the  
truth1 ,i have noticed one little fault 
about you4 ,i will not call it fatuous1 
inane1 and exasperating vanity or self- 
absorption2 ,i will put it in the form  
of a parable4 ,sit you round attentively
 and listen1 dispersing yourselves all  
in order1 and do not crowd or jostle4   
,once1 before we humans became the good 
and self-respecting people we are1 the  

,padre ,eterno was sitting in heaven    
with ,st ,michael beside him1 and ,he   
watched the abyss from ,his great       
throne1 and saw shining in the void one 
far point of light amid some seventeen  
million others1 and ,he said3  ',what is
 that8'  ,and ,st ,michael answered3    
',that is the ,earth1' for he felt some 
pride in it4  ',the ,earth8' said the   
,padre ,eterno1 a little puzzled444     
',the ,earth8 4448444 ,i do not remember
 very exactly444'  ',why1' answered ,st 
,michael1 with as much reverence as his 
annoyance could command1 'surely you    
must recollect the ,earth and all the   
pother there was in heaven when it was  
first suggested to create it1 and all   
about ,lucifer--'  ',ah6' said the      
,padre ,eterno1 thinking twice1 'yes4   
,it is attached to ,sirius1 and--'      
',no1 no1' said ,st ,michael1 quite     
visibly put out4 ',it is the ,earth4    
,the ,earth which has that changing moon
 and the thing called the sea4'  ',of   
course1 of course1' answered the ,padre 

,eterno quickly1 ',i said ,sirius by a  
slip of the tongue4 ,dear me6 ,so that  
is the ,earth6 ,well1 well6 ,it is years
 ago now444 ,michael1 what are those    
little things swarming up and down all  
over it8'  ',those1' said ,st ,michael1 
'are ,men4'  ',men8' said the ,padre    
,eterno1 ',men444 ,i know the word as   
well as any one1 but somehow the        
connexion escapes me4 ,men444' and ,he  
mused4  ,st ,michael1 with perfect      
self-restraint1 said a few things a     
trifle staccato1 defining ,man1 his dual
 destiny1 his hope of heaven1 and all   
the great business in which he himself  
had fought hard4 ,but from a fine       
military tradition1 he said nothing of  
his actions1 nor even of his shrine in  
,normandy1 of which he is naturally     
extremely proud3 and well he may be4    
,what a hill6  ',i really beg your      
pardon1' said the ,padre ,eterno1 when  
he saw the importance attached to these 
little creatures4 ',i am sure they are  
worthy of the very fullest attention1   

and' 7he added1 for he was sorry to have
 offended7 'how sensible they seem1     
,michael6 ,there they go1 buying and    
selling1 and sailing1 driving1 and      
wiving1 and riding1 and dancing1 and    
singing1 and the rest of it2 indeed1    
they are most practical1 business-like1 
and satisfactory little beings4 ,but ,i 
notice one odd thing4  ,here and there  
are some not doing as the rest1 or      
attending to their business1 but        
throwing themselves into all manner of  
attitudes1 making the most extraordinary
 sounds1 and clothing themselves in the 
quaintest of garments4 ,what is the     
meaning of that8'  ',sire6' cried ,st   
,michael1 in a voice that shook the     
architraves of heaven1 'they are        
worshipping ,you6'  ',oh6 they are      
worshipping me6 ,well1 that is the most 
sensible thing ,i have heard of them    
yet1 and ,i altogether commend them4    
,continuez1' said the ,padre ,eterno1   
'continuez6'  ,and since then all has   
been well with the world2 at least where

 ,us continuent4  ,and so1 carissimi1   
multitudes1 all of you good-bye2 the day
 has long dawned on the ,via ,cassia1   
this dense mist has risen1 the city is  
before me1 and ,i am on the threshold of
 a great experience2 ,i would rather be 
alone4  ,good-bye my readers2 good-bye  
the world4  ,at the foot of the hill ,i 
prepared to enter the city1 and ,i      
lifted up my heart4  ,there was an open 
space2 a tramway3 a tram upon it about  
to be drawn by two lean and tired horses
 whom in the heat many flies disturbed4 
,there was dust on everything around4   
,a bridge was immediately in front4 ,it 
was adorned with statues in soft stone1 
half-eaten away1 but still gesticulating
 in corruption1 after the manner of the 
seventeenth century4 ,beneath the bridge
 there tumbled and swelled and ran fast 
a great confusion of yellow water3 it   
was the ,tiber4 ,far on the right were  
white barracks of huge and of hideous   
appearance2 over these the ,dome of ,st 
,peter's rose and looked like something 

newly built4 ,it was of a delicate blue1
 but made a metallic contrast against   
the sky4  ,then 7along a road perfectly 
straight and bounded by factories1 mean 
houses and distempered walls3 a road    
littered with many scraps of paper1     
bones1 dirt1 and refuse7 ,i went on for 
several hundred yards1 having the old   
wall of ,rome before me all this time1  
till ,i came right under it at last2 and
 with the hesitation that befits all    
great actions ,i entered1 putting the   
right foot first lest ,i should bring   
further misfortune upon that capital of 
all our fortunes4  ,and so the journey  
ended4  ,it was the ,gate of the        
,poplar--not of the ,people4 7,ho1      
,pedant6 ,did you think ,i missed you1  
hiding and lurking there87 ,many        
churches were to hand2 ,i took the most 
immediate1 which stood just within the  
wall and was called ,our ,lady of the   
,people--7not 'of the ,poplar'4 ,another
 fall for the learned6  ,professor1     
things go ill with you to-day674 ,inside

 were many fine pictures1 not in the    
niminy-piminy manner1 but strong1       
full-coloured1 and just4  ,to my        
chagrin1 ,mass was ending4 ,i approached
 a priest and said to him3  ',pater1    
quando vel a quella hora e la prossimma 
,missa8'  ',ad nonas1' said he4  ',pol6 
,hercle6' 7thought ,i71 ',i have yet    
twenty minutes to wait6 ,well1 as a     
pilgrimage cannot be said to be over    
till the first ,mass is heard in ,rome1 
,i have twenty minutes to add to my     
book4'  ,so1 passing an ,egyptian       
obelisk which the great ,augustus had   
nobly dedicated to the ,sun1 ,i         
entered4444  ,,lector4 ,but do you      
intend to tell us nothing of ,rome8     
,,auctor4 ,nothing1 dear ,lector4       
,,lector4 ,tell me at least one thing2  
did you see the ,coliseum8  ,,auctor4444
 ,i entered a cafe at the right hand of 
a very long1 straight street1 called for
 bread1 coffee1 and brandy1 and         
contemplating my books and worshipping  
my staff that had been friends of mine  

so long1 and friends like all true      
friends inanimate1 ,i spent the few     
minutes remaining to my happy1 common1  
unshriven1 exterior1 and natural life1  
in writing down this  ,,loud ,,and      
,,final ,,song  ,,dithyrambic           
,,epithalamium ,,or ,,threnody    ,in   
these boots1 and with this staff   ,two 
hundred leaguers and a half--  7,that   
means1 two and a half hundred leagues4  
,you follow8 ,not two hundred and one   
half league4444 ,well--7    ,two hundred
 leaguers and a half   ,walked ,i1 went 
,i1 paced ,i1 tripped ,i1   ,marched ,i1
 held ,i1 skelped ,i1 slipped ,i1       
,pushed ,i1 panted1 swung and dashed ,i2
   ,picked ,i1 forded1 swam and splashed
 ,i1   ,strolled ,i1 climbed ,i1 crawled
 and scrambled1   ,dropped and dipped   
,i1 ranged and rambled2   ,plodded ,i1  
hobbled ,i1 trudged and tramped ,i1     
,and in lonely spinnies camped ,i1      
,and in haunted pinewoods slept ,i1     
,lingered1 loitered1 limped and crept   
,i1   ,clambered1 halted1 stepped and   

leapt ,i2   ,slowly sauntered1 roundly  
strode ,i1   ,and444 7,oh6 ,patron      
saints and ,angels                ,that 
protect the four evangels6              
,and you ,prophets vel majores          
,vel incerti1 vel minores1              
,virgines ac confessores                
,chief of whose peculiar glories        
,est in ,aula ,regis stare              
,atque orare et exorare                 
,et clamare et conclamare               
,clamantes cum clamoribus               
,pro nobis peccatoribus47   ,let me not 
conceal it444 ,rode ,i4   7,for who but 
critics could complain  ,of 'riding' in 
a railway train87   ,across the valleys 
and the high-land1   ,with all the world
 on either hand4   ,drinking when ,i had
 a mind to1   ,singing when ,i felt     
inclined to2   ,nor ever turned my face 
to home   ,till ,i had slaked my heart  
at ,rome4   ,,the ,,end ,,again         
,,lector4 ,but this is dogg--  ,,auctor4
 ,not a word6  ,,finis