s
Daughter_ has always been one of the most popular of tracts.

[58] Phillips at his death in 1840 left a widow, three sons, and four
daughters. One son was Vicar of Kilburn.

[59] _Lavengro_, ch. xxxix.

[60] _Ueber die naechsten Ursachen der materiellen Erscheinungen des
Universums_, von Sir Richard Phillips, nach dem Englischen bearbeitet
von General von Theobald und Prof. Dr. Lebret. Stuttgart, 1826.

CHAPTER X

_FAUSTUS_ AND _ROMANTIC BALLADS_

In the early pages of _Lavengro_ Borrow tells us nearly all we are ever
likely to know of his sojourn in London in the years 1824 and 1825,
during which time he had those interviews with Sir Richard Phillips
which are recorded in our last chapter. Dr. Knapp, indeed, prints a
little note from him to his friend Kerrison, in which he begs his friend
to come to him as he believes he is dying. Roger Kerrison, it would
seem, had been so frightened by Borrow's depression and threats of
suicide that he had left the lodgings at 16 Milman Street, Bedford Row,
and removed himself elsewhere, and so Borrow was left friendless to
fight what he called his 'horrors' alone. The depression was not
unnatural. From his own vivid narrative we learn of Borrow's bitter
failure as an author. No one wanted his translations from the Welsh and
the Danish, and Phillips clearly had no further use for him after he had
compiled his _Newgate Lives and Trials_ (Borrow's name in _Lavengro_ for
_Celebrated Trials_), and was doubtless inclined to look upon him as an
impostor for professing, with William Taylor's sanction, a mastery of
the German language which had been demonstrated to be false with regard
to his own book. No 'spirited publisher' had come forward to give
reality to his dream thus set down:

I had still an idea that, provided I could persuade any
spirited publisher to give these translations to the world, I
should acquire both considerable fame and profit; not, perhaps,
a world-embracing fame such as Byron's; but a fame not to be
sneered at, which would last me a considerable time, and would
keep my heart from breaking;--profit, not equal to that which
Scott had made by his wondrous novels, but which would prevent
me from starving, and enable me to achieve some other literary
enterprise. I read and re-read my ballads, and the more I read
them the more I was convinced that the public, in the event of
their being published, wo