elves the happier. Therefore their sleep robs his own; for
all things play so, in and out (with the godly and ungodly ever moving
in a balance, as they have done in my time, almost every year or two),
all things have such nice reply of produce to the call for it, and such
a spread across the world, giving here and taking there, yet on the
whole pretty even, that haply sleep itself has but a certain stock,
and keeps in hand, and sells to flattered (which can pay) that which
flattened vanity cannot pay, and will not sue for.

Be that as it may, I was by this time wide awake, though much aggrieved
at feeling so, and through the open window heard the distant roll of
musketry, and the beating of drums, with a quick rub-a-dub, and the
"come round the corner" of trumpet-call. And perhaps Tom Faggus might be
there, and shot at any moment, and my dear Annie left a poor widow, and
my godson Jack an orphan, without a tooth to help him.

Therefore I reviled myself for all my heavy laziness; and partly through
good honest will, and partly through the stings of pride, and yet a
little perhaps by virtue of a young man's love of riot, up I arose, and
dressed myself, and woke Kickums (who was snoring), and set out to see
the worst of it. The sleepy hostler scratched his poll, and could not
tell me which way to take; what odds to him who was King, or Pope, so
long as he paid his way, and got a bit of bacon on Sunday? And would I
please to remember that I had roused him up at night, and the quality
always made a point of paying four times over for a man's loss of
his beauty-sleep. I replied that his loss of beauty-sleep was rather
improving to a man of so high complexion; and that I, being none of the
quality, must pay half-quality prices: and so I gave him double fee, as
became a good farmer; and he was glad to be quit of Kickums; as I saw by
the turn of his eye, while going out at the archway.

All this was done by lanthorn light, although the moon was high and
bold; and in the northern heaven, flags and ribbons of a jostling
pattern; such as we often have in autumn, but in July very rarely. Of
these Master Dryden has spoken somewhere, in his courtly manner; but of
him I think so little--because by fashion preferred to Shakespeare--that
I cannot remember the passage; neither is it a credit to him.

Therefore I was guided mainly by the sound of guns and trumpets, in
riding out of the narrow ways, and into the open marshes. And thus I