It Lay Across A Common, Which Was Of A
Considerable Extent, And Bare And Naked, Excepting That Here And
There I Saw Sheep Feeding.
I now began to be very tired, when, to my astonishment, I saw a tree
in the middle of the common that stood quite solitary, and spread a
shade like an arbour round it.
At the bottom, round the trunk, a
bench was placed, on which one may sit down. Beneath the shade of
this tree I reposed myself a little, read some of Milton, and made a
note in my memorandum-book that I would remember this tree, which
had so charitably and hospitably received under its shade a weary
traveller. This, you see, I have now done.
The short English miles are delightful for walking. You are always
pleased to find, every now and then, in how short a time you have
walked a mile, though, no doubt, a mile is everywhere a mile, I walk
but a moderate pace, and can accomplish four English miles in an
hour. It used to take me pretty nearly the same time for one German
mile. Now it is a pleasing exchange to find that in two hours I can
walk eight miles. And now I fancy I was about seventeen miles from
London, when I came to an inn, where, for a little wine and water, I
was obliged to pay sixpence. An Englishman who happened to be
sitting by the side of the innkeeper found out that I was a German,
and, of course, from the country of his queen, in praise of whom he
was quite lavish, observing more than once that England never had
had such a queen, and would not easily get such another.
It now began to grow hot. On the left hand, almost close to the
high road, I met with a singularly clear rivulet. In this I bathed,
and was much refreshed, and afterwards, with fresh alacrity,
continued my journey.
I had now got over the common, and was once more in a country rich
and well cultivated beyond all conception. This continued to be the
case as far as Slough, which is twenty miles and a half from London,
on the way to Oxford, and from which to the left there is a road
leading to Windsor, whose high white castle I have already seen at a
distance.
I made no stay here, but went directly to the right, along a very
pleasant high road, between meadows and green hedges, towards
Windsor, where I arrived about noon.
It strikes a foreigner as something particular and unusual when, on
passing through these fine English towns, he observed one of those
circumstances by which the towns in Germany are distinguished from
the villages - no walls, no gates, no sentries, nor garrisons. No
stern examiner comes here to search and inspect us or our baggage;
no imperious guard here demands a sight of our passports; perfectly
free and unmolested, we here walk through villages and towns as
unconcerned as we should through a house of our own.
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