54 THE LIFE OF RICHARD JEFFERIES 



— with an objective reality, like sculpture. Who hears of 

 Homer, without remembering the Trojan war ; of Plato, 

 without in imagination listening to the soft sighing of the 

 zephyrs through the groves of Academus ; of Romulus 

 . . .' or by the reflection that ' Ink alone confers immor- 

 tality.' It can only be hoped that really vital knowledge 

 gained by handling this legend and history counter- 

 balanced the vexation of spirit. 



Before the end of 1866 he had begun the series of his- 

 torical and descriptive articles on Swindon and the 

 neighbourhood which now form the volume entitled 

 ' Jefferies' Land.' There he made use of his well-loved 

 ' Ballad of King Estmere ' and Drayton's ' Dowsabell ' 

 (also from the ' Reliques '), together with the ' Iliad,' 

 Herodotus, Horace, Pliny, Rowe's ' Lucan,' Nennius, 

 ' Domesday Book,* Richard of Cirencester, Aubrey, Clar 

 endon, Young, Pope's ' Essay on Man,' Ossian, and the 

 ' Philosophical Magazine.' The chapters were better than 

 his paper needed, and they are a fairly clear and pictur- 

 esque arrangement of history, genealogy, legend, and his 

 own observation ; yet he is not above quoting Richard of 

 Cirencester as an authority on 3600 B.C. He visited places 

 as far apart as Avebury, Huish, Aldbourne, Ufhngton, 

 Ashdown, Highworth, Braden Wood, Cricklade, Fairford, 

 Malmesbury, and Wootton Bassett. In the church at 

 Lydiard Tregoze he wrote : 



' The effect of these numerous monuments to departed 

 greatness is very solemn, and is increased by the dim light 

 from the stained-glass windows. Here sleep the warrior 

 and the statesman, men celebrated in their day, their 

 names in all men's mouths, now only known by the epi- 

 taph and escutcheon. Who remembers the great baron 

 Tregoz ? Who thinks of him when he hears of Lydiard 

 Tregoze ? Ewyas is still less remembered. The St. John 

 commemorated by Pope runs the best chance of immor- 

 tality. Those who fought with double-handed swords, 

 with battle-axe and lance, have long been forgotten ; it 

 is only the Muse who confers immortality. Ink is more 



