gh not till he is cold, and his
mortal part returned to its kindred clay. He has painted, not pictures
of the world, but English pictures, such as Gainsborough himself might
have done; beautiful rural pieces, with trees which might well tempt the
wild birds to perch upon them; thou needest not run to Rome, brother,
after pictures of the world, whilst at home there are pictures of
England; nor needest thou even go to London, the big city, in search of a
master, for thou hast one at home in the old East Anglian town who can
instruct thee whilst thou needest instruction. Better stay at home,
brother, at least for a season, and toil and strive 'midst groanings and
despondency till thou hast attained excellence even as he has done--the
little dark man with the brown coat and the top-boots, whose name will
one day be considered the chief ornament of the old town, and whose works
will at no distant period rank among the proudest pictures of
England--and England against the world! thy master, my brother, thy, at
present, all too little considered master--Crome."

Borrow was frankly bored by his experiences in law; he tired of his
surroundings, but relaxation came when an old couple gave him a venerable
collection of Danish ballads, jetsam of the sea, left with the yeoman and
his wife by some shipwrecked red-haired man. This was enough to waken
his greedy curiosity, and he at once shook off his listlessness, and set
to work to learn Danish, by the aid of a Danish Bible bought of a
Muggletonian preacher, who was also a bookseller. In less than a month
he was able to read his prize. A correspondent in "Notes and Queries"
(April 3rd, 1852) suggested that Borrow confounded Muggleton with
Huntington, which, indeed, seems likely enough.

[Picture: The Windmill on Mousehold Heath. By John Crome]

In the old Corporation Library Borrow was enabled to pursue his studies
in Scandinavian literature, and having become acquainted with William
Taylor, "one of the most extraordinary men that Norwich ever produced,"
learned German from him with wonderful rapidity. He was a frequent
visitor at Taylor's house, 21, King Street, which has just been
demolished for the extension of some motor works. Though a pronounced
Free-thinker, Taylor was a friend of Southey, and gave his young pupil
excellent advice. Mr. Elwin once said to me that most of the Norwich
antipathetic references to Borrow arose from his waywardness and wildness
as