such will smile at the ingenuity who dissent from the truth of
the etymology.

"I have read of an England beyond Wales, but the Gubbings land is a
Scythia within England, and they pure heathens therein. It lieth nigh
Brent. For in the edge of Dartmoor it is reported that, some two hundred
years since, two bad women, being with child, fled thither to hide
themselves; to whom certain lewd fellows resorted, and this was their
first original. They are a peculiar of their own making, exempt from
bishop, archdeacon, and all authority, either ecclesiastical or civil.
They live in cots (rather holes than houses) like swine, having all in
common, multiplied without marriage into many hundreds. Their language
is the dross of the dregs of the vulgar Devonian; and the more learned
a man is, the worse he can understand them. During our civil wars no
soldiers were quartered upon them, for fear of being quartered amongst
them. Their wealth consisteth in other men's goods; they live by
stealing the sheep on the moors; and vain is it for any to search their
houses, being a work beneath the pains of any sheriff, and above the
power of any constable. Such is their fleetness, they will outrun many
horses; vivaciousness, they outlive most men; living in an ignorance of
luxury, the extinguisher of life. They hold together like bees; offend
one, and all will revenge his quarrel.

"But now I am informed that they begin to be civilized, and tender their
children to baptism, and return to be men, yea, Christians again. I hope
no CIVIL people amongst us will turn barbarians, now these barbarians
begin to be civilized."*

* Fuller, p. 398.

With which quip against the Anabaptists of his day, Fuller ends his
story; and I leave him to set forth how Amyas, in fear of these same
Scythians and heathens, rode out of Plymouth on a right good horse, in
his full suit of armor, carrying lance and sword, and over and above two
great dags, or horse-pistols; and behind him Salvation Yeo, and five
or six north Devon men (who had served with him in Ireland, and were
returning on furlough), clad in head-pieces and quilted jerkins, each
man with his pike and sword, and Yeo with arquebuse and match, while two
sumpter ponies carried the baggage of this formidable troop.

They pushed on as fast as they could, through Tavistock, to reach before
nightfall Lydford, where they meant to sleep; but what with buying the
horses, and other delays, they had not been