At Length My Companion Stopped To
Take Leave Of Me, And Said He Should Now Go To His College.
"And I," said I, "will seat myself for the night on this stone bench
and await the morning, as it will be in vain for me, I imagine, to
look for shelter in a house at this time of night."
"Seat yourself on a stone!" said my companion, and shook his head.
"No, no! come along with me to a neighbouring ale-house, where it is
possible they mayn't be gone to bed, and we may yet find company."
We went on a few houses further, and then knocked at a door. It was
then nearly twelve. They readily let us in; but how great was my
astonishment, when, on being shown into a room on the left, I saw a
great number of clergymen, all with their gowns and bands on,
sitting round a large table, each with his pot of beer before him.
My travelling companion introduced me to them, as a German
clergyman, whom he could not sufficiently praise for my correct
pronunciation of the Latin, my orthodoxy, and my good walking.
I now saw myself in a moment, as it were, all at once transported
into the midst of a company, all apparently very respectable men,
but all strangers to me. And it appeared to me extraordinary that I
should, thus at midnight, be in Oxford, in a large company of
Oxonian clergy, without well knowing how I had got there.
Meanwhile, however, I took all the pains in my power to recommend
myself to my company, and in the course of conversation, I gave them
as good an account as I could of our German universities, neither
denying nor concealing that, now and then, we had riots and
disturbances.
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