ar at such
scenes."

Reynolds, like Borrow, was an admirer of Byron, and he anticipated Borrow
in the spirit of his remark to John Murray that the author's trade was
contemptible compared with the jockey's. At that moment it was
unquestionably so. Soon even reviewing failed. The "Universal Review"
died at the beginning of 1825, and Borrow seems to have quarrelled with
Phillips because some Germans had found the German of his translation as
unintelligible as he had found the publisher's English. He had nothing
left but his physical strength, his translations, and a very little
money. When he had come down to half-a-crown, he says, he thought of
accepting a patriotic Armenian's invitation to translate an Armenian work
into English; only the Armenian went away.

CHAPTER XIII--"JOSEPH SELL"

Then, on a fair day on Blackheath, he met Mr. Petulengro again who said
he looked ill and offered him the loan of 50 pounds, which he would not
accept, nor his invitation to join the band. Dr. Knapp confidently gives
the date of May 12 to this incident because that is the day of the annual
fair. Then seeing an advertisement: "A Novel or Tale is much wanted,"
outside a bookseller's shop, Borrow wrote "The Life and Adventures of
Joseph Sell, the Great Traveller." Did he? Dr. Knapp thinks he did, but
that the story had another name, and is to be sought for in such
collections of 1825 and 1826 as "Watt's Literary Souvenir." As Borrow
speaks of the materials of it having come from his own brain, and as Dr.
Knapp says he could not invent, why not conclude that it was
autobiographical?

There is no evidence except that the account sounds true, and might very
well be true. Dr. Knapp thinks that he wrote this book, and that he did
many other things which he said he did, because wherever there is any
evidence it corroborates Borrow's statements except in small matters of
names and dates. In the earlier version of "Lavengro," represented by a
manuscript and a proof, "Ardry" is "Arden," "Jasper" is "Ambrose," and
the question "What is his name?" is answered by "Thurtell," instead of a
blank. Now there was an Ambrose Smith whom Borrow knew, and Thurtell was
such a man as he describes in search of a place for the fight. Therefore,
Dr. Knapp would be inclined to say that Borrow did know a young man named
Arden. And, furthermore, as Isopel is called Elizabeth in that earlier
version, Isopel did exist, but her name was Elizabe