TOWN AND GOWN. 133 



and to observe the peculiarities of the 

 distinction so long maintained, and so fre- 

 quently exhibited, between the Town and 

 the Gown. 



But it was some little time before this 

 attracted my attention; my leisure hours 

 were spent partly in gardening having a 

 good space for that occupation attached to 

 the cottage where I lived and partly in 

 writing a treatise on the art of driving, with 

 the origin and history of stage-coach tra- 

 velling, the greater part of which I had 

 prepared for the press, when Government, 

 or some other creditor, putting forward a 

 claim to all the property on the premises of 

 my printer my manuscript, as well as the 

 proofs of what had been set up, were en- 

 tirely swept away. 



However, I had not long been associated 

 there, before the contrast between the two 

 was made palpable to my understanding 

 a contrast that seemed almost to consti- 

 tute an anomaly. That learning should 



