lemnity of the scene, and
were in keeping with the buildings; and he added, 'I must also except
another monument which once made a deep impression on my mind. It was in
a small church near St. Alban's; and I once left London in the
afternoon, so as to sleep at St. Alban's the first night, and have a few
hours of evening light to visit this church. It was before the invention
of railways, and I determined that I would always do the same; but, the
year after, railways existed, and I have never been able to carry out my
project again: all wandering is now over. Well, I went to this small
country church; and just opposite the door at which you enter, the
figure of the great Lord Bacon, in pure white, was the first thing that
presented itself. I went there to see his tomb, but I did not expect to
see himself; and it impressed me deeply. There he was, a man whose fame
extends over the whole civilised world, sitting calmly, age after age,
in white robes of pure alabaster, in this small country church, seldom
visited except by some stray traveller, he having desired to be interred
in this spot, to lie near his mother.'

On referring to Mallet's Life of Bacon, I see he mentions that he was
privately buried at St. Michael's church, near St. Alban's; and it adds,
'The spot that contains his remains lay obscure and undistinguished,
till the gratitude of a private man, formerly his servant' (Sir Thomas
Meautys), 'erected a monument to his name and memory.' This makes it
probable that the likeness is a correct one.

_November 8th_, 1845.--On our way to take an early dinner at Foxhow
yesterday, we met the Poet at the foot of his own hill, and he engaged
us to go to tea to the Mount on our way home to hear their adventures,
he and his Mary having just returned from a six weeks' wander among
their friends. During their absence we always feel that the road between
Grasmere and Ambleside is wanting in something, beautiful as it is. We
reached the Mount before six, and found dear Mrs. Wordsworth much
restored by her tour. She has enjoyed the visit to her kith and kin in
Herefordshire extremely, and we had a nice comfortable chat round the
fire and the tea-table. After tea, in speaking of the misfortune it was
when a young man did not seem more inclined to one profession than
another, Wordsworth said that he had always some feeling of indulgence
for men at that age who felt such a difficulty. He had himself passed
through it, and had incur