e
to the Irish cob and the Author's first ride in chapter thirteen.

Borrow's is a wonderful book for one to lose one's _way_ in, among the
dense undergrowth, but it is a still grander book for the reader to lose
_himself_ in. In the dingle, best of all, he can "forget his own
troublesome personality as completely as if he were in the depths of the
ancient forest along with Gurth and Wamba." Labyrinthine, however, as
the autobiography may at first sight appear, the true lover of Borrow
will soon have little difficulty in finding the patteran or gypsy trail
(for indeed the Romany element runs persistently as a chorus-thread
through the whole of the autobiographical writings), which serves as a
clue to the delights of which his work is so rich a storehouse. The
question that really exercises Borrovians most is the relative merit of
stories and sections of the narrative--the comparative excellence of the
early 'life' in _Lavengro_ and of the later detached episodes in the
_Romany Rye_. Most are in some sort of agreement as to the supremacy of
the dingle episode, which has this advantage: Borrow is always at his
best when dealing with strange beings and abnormal experiences. When he
is describing ordinary mortals he treats them with coldness as mere
strangers. The commonplace town-dwellers seldom arouse his sympathy,
never kindle his enthusiasm. He is quite another being when we wander by
his side within the bounds of his enchanted dingle.

This history of certain doings in a Staffordshire dingle, during the
month of July 1825, begins with a battle-royal, which places Borrow high
amongst the narrators of human conflicts from the days of the Iliad to
those of Pierce Egan; yet the chapters that set forth this episode of the
dingle are less concerned with the "gestes" than with the sayings of its
occupants. Rare, indeed, are the dramatic dialogues amid the sylvan
surroundings of the tree-crowned hollow, that surpass in interest even
the vivid details of the memorable fray between the flaming tinman and
the pugilistic philologer. Pre-eminent amongst the dialogues are those
between the male occupant of the dingle and the popish propagandist,
known as the man in black. More fascinating still, perhaps, are the word-
master's conversations with Jasper; most wonderful of all, in the opinion
of many, is his logomachy with Ursula under the thorn bush. We shall not
readily forget Jasper's complaints that all the 'old-fashion