s Jasper,
returning with him the greater part of the day's journey, settling in
'Mumpers' Dingle,' where he is visited by his gypsy friends, four days
before the Sunday upon which they all attend church.

A casual remark of Mr. Petulengro's on this occasion affords a valuable
clue to the precise date. 'Any news stirring, Mr. Petulengro?' said
Borrow; 'have you heard anything of the great religious movements?'
'Plenty,' said Mr. Petulengro; 'all the religious people, more especially
the evangelicals, those who go about distributing tracts, are very angry
about the fight between Gentleman Cooper and White-headed Bob, which they
say ought not to have been permitted to take place; and then they are
trying all they can to prevent the fight between the lion and the dogs,
which they say is a disgrace to a Christian country.' The prize-fight
between Baldwin and Cooper was fought on Tuesday, July 5, 1825, near
Maidenhead. The combat between the lion, Nero, and six dogs took place
at Warwick on Tuesday, July 26, and for months beforehand had been the
subject of much discussion in the London and provincial press. {0d} The
Wednesday, therefore, when the gypsies visited Borrow in the dingle must
have fallen between these two events--_i.e._, must have been the 6th,
13th, or 20th of July. The fair to the south-east of London, towards
which Borrow was attracted by a huge concourse of people, all moving in
the same direction, is unmistakably the Greenwich Fair, held on
Whit-Monday, May 23, 1825. {0e} He must, then, have set out after this
date, and on a Tuesday, as we calculate by reckoning backwards from the
first Sunday passed with Peter Williams. The gypsies' visit occurred on
the 58th day of his tour, so that he must have left London on Tuesday,
May 24, 1825, since to have started on any later day would have carried
him beyond the date of the lion fight.

From these data we can now construct an exact diary of Borrow's
adventures, from the day on which he left London to that on which he
arrived at the posting-inn on the Great North Road.

Diary.

1st day [Tuesday, May 24, 1825]. Leaves London, afternoon; walks nine
miles S.W.; takes coach to [Amesbury].

2nd day [Wednesday, May 25]. Arrives [Amesbury] before dawn; sees
Stonehenge; crosses Avon; descends to City of the Spire [Salisbury].

3rd day [Thursday, May 26]. Salisbury.

4th day [Friday, May 27]. Leaves Salisbury; walks N.W., about twelve
miles to small