Ixxviii 



AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 



those readers of the Wanderings who may still 

 doubt my word to meet me in person, and then 

 show me any passage in the book which they may 

 suspect to deviate from the truth. It will give me 

 pleasure to enter fully into the point in question ; 

 and I shall not have the slightest doubt of being 

 able to convince them that they are wrong in their 

 surmises. If they should refuse to comply with this 

 my reasonable and just request, and still determine 

 to consider me a disciple of the celebrated baron, 

 then to them I say, " Gentlemen, fare ye well. In 

 my conscience, I have laboured hard to please you, 

 and to consult your taste ; but I find that I have 

 lost my time, and, I may add, my patience too. I 

 humbly crave your forgiveness for having offered 

 you food, which has proved so very unpalatable to 

 your stomachs. I will learn wisdom for the time to 

 come ; and I promise you that I will not throw my 

 jewels to the sty a second time." 



So far for the Wanderings. Most part of the 

 work was written in the depth of the forest, with- 

 out the help of books, or the aid of any naturalist. 

 I could not refrain from making a few observations 

 on it ere I concluded these Memoirs, — Memoirs, 

 by the way, from the pen of a private rover. Had 

 our religion not interfered with our politics, my 

 early days would probably have been spent in the 

 service of my country. Then, no doubt, there would 

 have been matter in these Memoirs much more 

 interesting to the reader than that which is now 

 submitted to his perusal. 



I could never comprehend how a government^ 



