THE BACK PARISH. 271 



CHAPTER XL. 



Walk with a Rustic Family Meeting A Recollection of the Rhine 

 Ignorance and Degraded Condition of the English Agricultural Laborer 

 How he is Regarded by his Superiors The Principles of Govern- 

 ment Duties of the Governing Education Slavery The Diet of 

 Laborers Drink Bread Bacon Fresh Meat. 



"IT7E were bound for Monmouth that night, and soon after sun- 

 set, having one of the farm laborers for a guide, we struck 

 across the fields into another lane. About a mile from the farm- 

 house, there was a short turn, and at the angle the lane nar- 

 row and deep as usual was a small, steep-roofed, stone building, 

 with a few square and arched windows here and there in it, and 

 a perfectly plain cube of stone for a tower, rising scarcely above 

 the roof-tree, with an iron staff and vane on one of its corners 

 " Saint Some-one's parish church." There was a small graveyard, 

 enclosed by a hedge, and in a corner of this, but with three doors 

 opening in front upon the lane, was a long, crooked, dilapidated 

 old cottage. On one of the stone thresholds, a dirty, peevish- 

 looking woman was lounging, and before her, lying on the ground 

 in the middle of the lane, were several boys and girls playing or 

 quarreling. They stopped as we came near, and rolling out of 

 the way, stared at us silently, and without the least expression 

 of recognition, while we passed among them. As we went on, 



