s, alleging that, as I was not
a Tory, I must be a Whig; and, finally, the third estate came in, and
finished what the other two had left undone, because I was not a
Radical.

Here, then, gentlemen, was I, I repeat, who had offended no one, or,
at least, had given no one any reasonable grounds of offence, but who,
on the contrary, was most anxious to remain on friendly terms with
everybody--here, I say, then, was I, surrounded with enemies, persecuted
at all hands, my business dwindled away to nothing, and, lastly, my
effects destroyed, to the extent of nearly all I possessed in the world.
There was still, however, a small residue left; and with this I now
determined to retire to the country, and to take a small house in some
sequestered place, at a distance from all other human habitations, with
the view of ascertaining if I could not there secure the peace and
quietness which I found the most harmless and inoffensive conduct could
not procure me in society. I determined, in short, to fly the face of
man. Well, such a house as I wished, I, after some time, found; and to
it I immediately retired. It was situated in a remote part of the
country, in a romantic little glen, and several miles distant, on all
hands, from any other residence--just the thing I wanted. Here at last,
thought I, as I gazed on the solitude around me, I will find that peace
and quiet that are so dear to me; here is no one to quarrel with me
because I do not choose to think as he does--none to disturb me because
I seek to disturb no one. Fatal error again!

There was a small trouting stream at a short distance from the house. I
was fond of angling. I went to the river with rod and line, threw in (it
was the very next day after I had taken possession of my new residence),
and in the next instant found myself seized by the cuff of the neck. I
had trespassed; and an immediate prosecution, notwithstanding all the
concession I could make, was the consequence. The proprietor, at whose
instance this proceeding took place, was a brute--a tyrant. To all my
overtures, his only reply was, that he was determined to make an example
of me; and this he did, to the tune of about a score of pounds. This
occurrence, of course, put an immediate stop to my fishing recreations;
and, at the same time, excited some suspicion in my mind as to the
perfect felicity which I was likely to enjoy in my retirement. Having
given up all thoughts of angling, I now took to walking,