ad hobble among the mountains at the Pass of Losa by the help of a
shepherd who showed them the way. "But," saith Mariana, parenthetically,
"some do say the shepherd was an angel; for after he had shown the way,
he was never seen more." That is, the angelic nature of the guide was
proved by being only once seen, and after having got the army out of the
hobble, leaving it to fight or run away, as it had most mind to. Now, I
look upon that shepherd, or angel, as a very good type of my fortune at
least. The apparition showed me my way in the rocks to the great "Battle
of Life;" after that--hold fast and strike hard!

Behold me in London with Uncle Roland. My poor parents naturally wished
to accompany me, and take the last glimpse of the adventurer on board
ship; but I, knowing that the parting would seem less dreadful to them
by the hearthstone, and while they could say, "He is with Roland; he is
not yet gone from the land," insisted on their staying behind; and
thus the farewell was spoken. But Roland, the old soldier, had so many
practical instructions to give, could so help me in the choice of the
outfit and the preparations for the voyage, that I could not refuse his
companionship to the last. Guy Bolding, who had gone to take leave of
his father, was to join me in town, as well as my humbler Cumberland
colleagues.

As my uncle and I were both of one mind upon the question of economy,
we took up our quarters at a lodging-house in the City; and there it was
that I first made acquaintance with a part of London of which few of my
politer readers even pretend to be cognizant. I do not mean any sneer
at the City itself, my dear alderman,--that jest is worn out. I am not
alluding to streets, courts, and lanes; what I mean may be seen at the
West-end--not so well as at the East, but still seen very fairly,--I
mean The House-Tops!

(1) Dante here evidently associates Fortune with the planetary
influences of judicial astrology. It is doubtful whether Schiller ever
read Dante; but in one of his most thoughtful poems he undertakes the
same defence of Fortune, making the Fortunate a part of the Beautiful.

CHAPTER II.

The House-Tops! What a soberizing effect that prospect produces on the
mind. But a great many requisites go towards the selection of the right
point of survey. It is not enough to secure a lodging in the attic; you
must not be fobbed off with a front attic that faces the street. First,
your attic must be