OF SELBORNE 193 



girl lie-in in the midst of one of our hop-gardens, on the 

 cold ground, with nothing over her but a piece of blanket 

 extended on a few hazel-rods bent hoop-fashion, and 

 stuck into the earth at each end, in circumstances too 

 trying for a cow in the same condition : yet within this 

 garden there was a large hop-kiln, into the chambers of 

 which she might have retired, had she, thought shelter an 

 object worthy her attention. 



Europe itself, it seems, cannot set bounds to the rovings 

 of those vagabands ; for Mr. Bell, in his return from 

 Peking, met a gang of these people on the confines of 

 Tartary, who were endeavouring to penetrate those deserts 

 and try their fortune in China.* 



Gypsies are called in French, Bohemians ; in Italian 

 and modern Greek, Zingani. 



I am, etc. 



LETTER XXVI 



Selborne, Nov. 1, 1775. 



Dear Sir, 



" Hie .... taedse pingues, hie plurimus ignis 

 Semper, et assidua postes fuligine nigri." 



I shall make no apology for troubling you with the 

 detail of a very simple piece of domestic ceconomy, being 

 satisfied that you think nothing beneath your attention 

 that tends to utility : the matter alluded to is the use of 

 rushes instead of candles, which I am well aware prevails 

 in many districts besides this ; but as I know there are 

 countries also where it does not obtain, and as I have 

 considered the subject with some degree of exactness, I 



* See Bell's Travels in China. 



