LEWES AND ITS COUNTRY 89 



against lanes ? Why would I, when I count one 

 of the Downs' chiefest charms their being footed 

 by bands of ancient ways, paved, absolutely paved, 

 with history and romance, old-time thoroughfares 

 to be peopled at will by the imaginative day- 

 dreamer, dressed by actors in life's drama, making 

 a procession a thousand years long for certain, as 

 we know the history of England from the Con- 

 queror's time, and marked, many of them by 

 dwellers in our land before the Romans made 

 roads not beaten up to date. Good — I say very 

 good — are all the samples I quote and others to 

 be cited, as, for instance, the coast. I have not 

 brought in that yet, nor the river. Good old 

 Father Thames ! As he has cropped up, put him 

 in the parcel with the rest, and then you can take 

 the rest while I go for the Downs, more especially 

 as they are in summer, and were when I made 

 spells off to pay my respects to them this week. 



Not all the scents of Araby can match the 

 perfume of their turf. Araby ? Araby, be blowed ! 

 Where does Arabia Felix, or any other — unhappy 

 or otherwise — come in with a bouquet ? They 

 couldn't do anything for Lady Macbeth's little 

 hands. She said so, and I shall never forget 

 Mme. Ristori's making the statement. She was 

 convincing, if you like. She and Mr Macbeth 

 wouldn't have wanted any scents of Araby if they 

 had exploited the South Downs before coveting 

 their neighbour's crown, because, thanks to their 

 corrective influence, they must have put all 

 daggering out of the question, the mens sana 

 being in corpore sano. Our Royal blend is of 

 wild thyme and marjoram, burnet and meadow- 

 sweet, lady's-shoes-and-stockings and plantain, 

 cock sorrel and sloe shoot, white clover and red 



