72 THE DOVER ROAD 



bands and plunder the villages, were it not for the 

 courage of the villagers, who formed themselves into 

 guards. These poles were about a mile distant from 

 each other, and to every one there was a small hut for 

 the person whose business it was to keep the beacons 

 burning. " God be praised," though, he reached 

 " Gravesine " safely ! 



Samuel de Sorbiere, Historiographer Royal to the 

 King of France, visited our shores in 1663. The 

 normal passage from Calais was three hours, but on 

 this occasion seven hours were consumed in crossing, 

 and although the weather was very fair, the " usual 

 Disorder which those who are not accustomed to the 

 sea are subject to " — but no matter ! To make 

 matters worse, contempt and affronts were put upon 

 him in Dover streets by some sons of Belial in the 

 shape of boys who ran after him shouting, " a Monsieur, 

 a Monsieur," and who, when they had retired to a safe 

 distance, proceeded to the extremely impolite depth of 

 calling him a " French dog," " which," says M. de 

 Sorbiere, sweepingly, '' is the epithet they give us in 

 England." 



Our traveller journej^ed to London by wagon, 

 rather than take a post-chaise or even the stage- 

 coach ; an extremely undignified thing for an 

 Historiographer Royal to do, one would think. But 

 then, 'twas the way to note the strange customs of 

 these English ! The wagon was drawn by six horses, 

 one before another, and beside them walked the 

 wagoner clothed in black and appointed in all things 

 like another Saint George. He had a brave mounteero 

 on his head, and was a merry fellow who fancied he 

 made a figure, and seemed mightily pleased with 

 himself. Arrived at Gravesend, our traveller, for 

 greater expedition, took boat to London, and so an end 

 of him, so far, at least, as these pages are concerned. 



But this little crowd of scribbling foreigners who 

 visited England and wrote accounts of their travels 

 in these islands before the locomotive was dreamed 



