LAPLAND. 85 



that refers to his clerical dignity except a pair of 

 black breeches. 



" This poor man had the misfortune of being 

 ruined by a fire, which consumed all his household 

 furniture with his library, from which he could not 

 even save his Bible. This loss was not, however, 

 what he seemed to have felt most severely, as he 

 observed, that after this disaster he found himself 

 eased of the burden of reading Latin. The honest 

 parson was of great use to us during our stay at 

 Munio. He was the most clownish parson I ever 

 saw in my various travels ; but sometimes he 

 would discourse on the abuses of birth and 

 hereditary succession, in a manner which I was 

 astonished to hear from a man who had nothing in 

 the world but a shirt, a pair of breeches, and the 

 shoes on his feet. 



" He was the better pleased to see travellers, 

 because they never could be any inconvenience to 

 him, since, being very ill lodged himself, it could 

 not be expected he should find them accommoda- 

 tion; and besides, by their arrival, he was sure 

 of some glasses of brandy, with which we used to 

 regale him as often as he came to see us. He 

 declared our brandy was delicious, and with each 

 glass he swallowed pronounced its eulogium in a 

 manner equally energetic and sincere. 



" He told us with the most pathetic accents, 



