298 Rough Notes of a Tour to the Lakes 



the arm-chair is his throne, the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour 

 of twelve feet square his undisputed empire. It is a morsel of certainty, 

 snatched from the uncertainty of life, it is a sunny moment gleaming out 

 kindly on a cloudy day ; and he who has advanced some way on the pil- 

 grimage of existence, knows the importance of husbanding even morsels 

 and moments of enjoyment." — Irving. 



Having made arrangements with a gentleman in the north 

 to perform a tour of the lakes, we determined that the George 

 Inn, Penrith, should be our place of rendezvous, where, after 

 thirty-six hours' travelling, I arrived, at 4 A.M., Monday, 17th 

 May, 1830. My friend had been some days in the neigh- 

 bourhood, and had taken up his abode at our inn the evening 

 before, in anticipation of my arrival. We rose at eight, and 

 immediately after breakfast set off for the residence of the 

 Reverend T. Gibson of Tirrel, at whose house Mr. H. had 

 lately been a guest, and whence we were to commence our 

 pedestrian excursion. The morning was cloudy without rain, 

 and cleared up for a fine day about noon. 



The distance from Penrith to Tirrel is about three miles. 

 Crossing Emont Bridge, you take the road following the course 

 of the river to Tirrel, from which there is a pretty view of 

 the Penrith Beacon, peeping with its grey head above the 

 trees with which it is surrounded. Mr. Gibson's house is 

 very pleasantly situated about midway between Penrith and 

 Powley Bridge ; and a more eligible and delightful situation 

 for a boys' school is seldom to be seen. We presently com- 

 menced the needful preparation, by furnishing our knapsacks 

 and the pockets of our shooting jackets with such articles, and 

 such only, as were likely to be of service to us. Mine con- 

 sisted of a single change of linen ; pair of thin shoes ; corked 

 insect-box ; bottle for insects ; sandwich-box ; liquor-flask, 

 &c., with a large oilskin cape fastened under the straps of the 

 knapsack, for use in the event of heavy rain. Mr. H. made 

 much the same provision, with the addition of a portfolio of 

 blotting paper for plants, and a sketch-book ; but we both 

 afterwards regretted that we had not also taken a pair of light 

 trousers, which, after a wet day, would have proved a great 

 convenience. Equipped in a shooting-dress, and shod in very 

 thick and strong shoes, with our knapsacks at our backs, we 

 bade adieu to our kind friends, Mr. and Mrs. Gibson, and 

 set off for Ulswater. The road from Tirrel to Powley is 

 uneven and varied, whilst the banks on each side of it are, at 

 this season of the year, adorned with a profusion of wild 

 flowers, amongst which are primrose and scentless vetch in 

 great abundance. 



The little chapel at which Mr. Gibson officiates stands on 

 the right-hand side of the lane, at no great distance from his 



