Foreknowledge Makes Life Plain 



young lady, Miss Amusement, derives her origin from old 

 Grandfather Doubt and old Grandmother Curiosity. 



Amusement is the business of foolish men — to them every- 

 thing is uncertainty, and the smallest trifles exciting. The 

 wise man, who sees much further before his nose, is not so 

 easily amused : he requires to be engaged in deeper and 

 more perplexing matters, in order to obtain that anxiety 

 which is necessary to the enjoyment of life. 



But though the fool is more easily amused, he is also 

 more easily impatient. To see your way before you, shortens 

 your way. Uncertainty gives excitement — foreknowledge 

 patience. 



Descending rrom the hills into a broad green vega^ we 

 crossed a rapid, red, muddy stream, which divides Andalusia 

 from La Mancha. Crossing it, we saw a great castle not far 

 off to the left. A little further on, turning round for 

 another view of it, it was gone, and there was no apparent 

 reason in the lying of the land ; and I immediately decided 

 it was an enchanted castle, and I said I would invent a legend 

 for it. Round about this vega there seem a good many 

 castles. 



A little after sunset we rode into La Torre, a straggling 

 village, which, however, had a decent posada. Here we found 

 a knife-grinder, who put an edge on our daggers, which are 

 rather blunted with cutting Cavendish for our pipes. The 

 host, seeing our pistols, was astonished ; and as he of course 

 told everybody, we soon had a levee of all the magnates or 

 the place. They agreed my revolver was " una cosa tnuy 

 linda y digna de verse " (a thing very beautiful and worthy 

 to be seen) ; and the alcalde, seeing the name of Palmerston 

 on our passports, fell into the usual raptures over that great 

 and terrible signature. There is no European reputation 

 like his. He is the ever-wakeful Jupiter of diplomacy, 



259 R 



