among those noble forest
trees, behold that old Norman master-work, that cloud-encircled
cathedral spire, around which a garrulous army of rooks and
choughs continually wheel their flight. Now, who can wonder
that the children of that fine old city are proud of her, and
offer up prayers for her prosperity? I myself, who was not born
within her walls, offer up prayers for her prosperity, that
want may never visit her cottages, vice her palaces, and that
the abomination of idolatry may never pollute her temples.

But at the very centre of Borrow's Norwich life was William Taylor,
concerning whom we have already written much. It was a Jew named Mousha,
a quack it appears, who pretended to know German and Hebrew, and had but
a smattering of either language, who first introduced Borrow to Taylor,
and there is a fine dialogue between the two in _Lavengro_, of which
this is the closing fragment:

'Are you happy?' said the young man.

'Why, no! And, between ourselves, it is that which induces me
to doubt sometimes the truth of my opinions. My life, upon the
whole, I consider a failure; on which account, I would not
counsel you, or anyone, to follow my example too closely. It
is getting late, and you had better be going, especially as
your father, you say, is anxious about you. But, as we may
never meet again, I think there are three things which I may
safely venture to press upon you. The first is, that the
decencies and gentlenesses should never be lost sight of, as
the practice of the decencies and gentlenesses is at all times
compatible with independence of thought and action. The second
thing which I would wish to impress upon you is, that there is
always some eye upon us; and that it is impossible to keep
anything we do from the world, as it will assuredly be divulged
by somebody as soon as it is his interest to do so. The third
thing which I would wish to press upon you----'

'Yes,' said the youth, eagerly bending forward.

'Is'--and here the elderly individual laid down his pipe upon
the table--'that it will be as well to go on improving yourself
in German!'

Taylor it was who, when Borrow determined to try his fortunes in London
with those bundles of unsaleable manuscripts, gave him introductions to
Sir Richard Phillips and to Thomas Campbell. It was in the agnostic
spi