BENEFIT OF TRAVELLING. 471 



much of a slave before, for I certainly felt grateful 

 at having come scathless through the country 

 of the freest and most lawless set of men on 

 the face of the earth ; and happy in getting to 

 Shoa, where the first thing that happened to me 

 was being confined seven or eight days in a house, 

 with a sentinel over me, upon no other excuse but 

 that my disposition and character should be sub- 

 mitted to such testing ordeal. But I am antici 

 pating. Of this kind is the education a traveller 

 gets, and I fully agree with de Montbron, (the 

 quotation appended to the first canto of Childe 

 Harold,) who, in his " Cosmopolite," remarks : — 



" L'univers est une espece de livre clont on n'a lu que la 

 premiere page, quand on n'a vu que son pays. J'en ai 

 feuillete un assez grand nombre que j'ai trouve egalement 

 mauvaises cet examen ne m'a point ete infructueux. Je ha'issais 

 ma patrie. Toutes les impertinences des peuples divers, parmi 

 lesquels j'ai vecu m'ont reconcilie avec elle. Quand je n'aurais 

 tire d'autre benefice de mes voyages que celui-la je n'eu 

 regretterais ni les frais ne les fatigues." 



I looked upon the lovely scene so long, and felt 

 so strongly my return to civilized life, that, like a 

 worthy friend of mine relating to me his feelings 

 on reaching the self-same spot, I could have found 

 relief in a good flow of tears, so sincere was my 

 joy. Numerous residences of man were in sight, 

 snug straw-thatched hives they looked, but houses 

 of any sort were as old friends to me, and my heart 

 rejoiced when I beheld them. I always connect 



