e corner by the
glow-worm's light--black devils hobbling in another--Lord have mercy upon
us! and I was hailed, Tom, I was, by my grandmother Jane, and my aunt
Bridget, d'ye see--a couple of d--n'd--but they're roasting; that's one
comfort, my lad."

When he had thus disburdened his conscience, Sir Launcelot introduced
the subject of the new occupation at which he aspired. "I understand,"
said he, "that you are desirous of treading the paths of errantry,
which, I assure you, are thorny and troublesome. Nevertheless, as
your purpose is to exercise your humanity and benevolence, so your
ambition is commendable. But towards the practice of chivalry, there is
something more required than the virtues of courage and generosity. A
knight-errant ought to understand the sciences, to be master of ethics or
morality, to be well versed in theology, a complete casuist, and minutely
acquainted with the laws of his country. He should not only be patient
of cold, hunger, and fatigue, righteous, just, and valiant, but also
chaste, religious, temperate, polite, and conversable; and have all his
passions under the rein, except love, whose empire he should submissively
acknowledge." He said, this was the very essence of chivalry; and no man
had ever made such a profession of arms, without first having placed his
affection upon some beauteous object, for whose honour, and at whose
command, he would cheerfully encounter the most dreadful perils.

He took notice, that nothing could be more irregular than the manner in
which Crowe had attempted to keep his vigil. For he had never served his
novitiate--he had not prepared himself with abstinence and prayer--he had
not provided a qualified godfather for the ceremony of dubbing--he had no
armour of his own to wake; but, on the very threshold of chivalry, which
is the perfection of justice, had unjustly purloined the arms of another
knight. That this was a mere mockery of a religious institution, and
therefore unpleasing in the sight of Heaven; witness the demons and
hobgoblins that were permitted to disturb and torment him in his trial.

Crowe having listened to these remarks with earnest attention, replied,
after some hesitation, "I am bound to you, brother, for your kind and
Christian counsel--I doubt as how I've steered by a wrong chart, d'ye
see--as for the matter of the sciences, to be sure, I know Plain Sailing
and Mercator; and am an indifferent good seaman, thof I say it that
sh