KENILWORTH. CHAPTER I. Ay, I know you have arsenick, The Alchemist. TRESSILIAN and his attendants pressed their route with all dispatch. He had asked the smith, indeed, when their departure was resolved on, whether he would not rather chuse to avoid Berkshire, in which he had played a part so conspicuous. But Wayland returned a confident answer. He had employed the short interval they passed at Lidcote Hall in transforming himself in a wonderful manner. His wild and overgrown thicket of beardtwas now restrained to two small moustachios on the uppervlip, turned up in a military fashion. A tailor from the village of Lidcote (wel. paid) had exerted his skill, under his customer's directions, so as completely to alter Wayland's outward man, and take off from his appearance almost twenty years of age. Formerly, besmearod with soot and charcoal-overgrown with; bair, und bent double with the nature of his labour+ disfigured too by his odd and fantastic dress, he seemed a man of fifty years old. But now, in a handsome suit of Tressílian's livery, with a sword by his side, and a buckler on his shoulder, he duoked like a gay ruffling serving-man, whose age might be betwixt thirty and thirty-five, the very prime of human life. His loutish savage-lookipg demeanour seemed equally changed, into a for ward, sharp, and impudent alertness of look-and "action. • 14:? 1 song writing intensiteti 2016, .:93: When challenged by Tressilian, who desired to know the cause of a metamorphosis so singular and so 'absolute, Wayland only answered by singing a stave from a comedy, which was then mew, and was supposed, among the more favour -ablerjudges, to augursome genius on the part of thie jauthor: We are happy to preserve the cou plet, which ran exactly thus, tosint A coides't enotaur zin robna dapit hoitoxo brd (hrift - Ban, ban, ca Calibana brish vs abanban, can Get a new master - Be a new man." 1908uuqr sin rol 1. AB'? If I bre u n - Although Tressilian did not recollect the verses; yet they reminded him that Wayland had once been a stage player, a circumstance which, of itself, accounted indifferently well for the readiness with which he could assume sol total a change of { personal appearance. The artist himself was so confident of his disguise being completely chanIged, or of his having completely changed his disvguise, which may be the more correct, modle of speaking, that he regretted they were not to pass near his old place of retreat." .o .,povply basssit could venture,” he said, “ in my present dress, and with your worship's backing, to face bMaster Justice Blindas, even on a day of Quar- Keri Sessions and I would like to know what is y become of Hobgoblin, who is like to play the devil in the world, if he can once slip the string, and - Heave this grannie and his Dominie. Ay, and the sCathedváule!" he said, “I would willingly have sees what havoc the explosion of so much gunpowder has made among Doctor Demetrius Do boobie's retorts and phials. I warrant me, my fame haunts the Vale of the White Horse long after my body is rotten; and that many a lout ties up his horse, lays down his silver groat, and pipe's likea sailor whistling in a calm, for Wayland Smith to come and shoe his tit for him. Büt-thé horse will catch the founders ere I answer the call." 119 In this particular, indeed, Wayland proved a true prophet; and so easily do fables rise, that an obscure tradition of his extraordinary practice in farriety prevails in the Vale of White Horse even unto this day;* and neither the tradition of Alfred's Victory, nor of the celebrated Pusey Horn, are better preserved in Berkshire than the wild legend of Wayland Smith. Bluetola b. The haste of the travellers admitted their making no stay upon their journey, säver what the refreshment of the horses required; tand as many -DL. 1940 9003 baibo M to 9:loll adtasy 9. JAAN, br* See Camden'i Britannia_Govču dEdition, 'fore Y. p. 221.1 . megfelet o ! :. 2299111 Isili |