figured in the world of letters, Borrow
was surely the most eccentric, the most whimsical, and in many ways the
most extraordinary. There was scarcely a point in which he resembled any
other writer of his time. With regard to _Lavengro_ and _The Romany
Rye_, there has been very much discussion as to how much _Dichtung_ is
mingled with the _Wahrheit_ in those fascinating books. Had it not been
for the amazingly clumsy pieces of fiction which he threw into the
narrative, few readers would have doubted the autobiographical nature of
the two books. Such incidents as are here alluded to shed an air of
unreality over the whole. It has been said by Dr Knapp that Borrow never
created a character, and that to one who thoroughly knows the times and
Borrow's writings the originals are easily recognizable. This is true,
no doubt, as regards people whom he knew at Norwich, and indeed
generally as regards those he knew before the period of his gipsy
wanderings. It must not be supposed, however, that such a character as
the man who "touched" to avert the evil chance is in any sense a
portrait of an individual with whom he had been brought into contact.
The character has so many of Borrow's own eccentricities that it might
rather be called a portrait of himself. There was nothing that Borrow
strove against with more energy than the curious impulse, which he seems
to have shared with Dr Johnson, to touch the objects along his path in
order to save himself from the evil chance. He never conquered the
superstition. In walking through Richmond Park with the present writer
he would step out of his way constantly to touch a tree, and he was
offended if the friend he was with seemed to observe it. Many of the
peculiarities of the man who taught himself Chinese in order to distract
his mind from painful thoughts were also Borrow's own. (T. W.-D.)

BORSIPPA (_Barsip_ in the Babylonian and Assyrian inscriptions; _Borsif_
in the Talmud; mod. Birs or Birs-Nimrud), the Greek name of an ancient
city about 15 m. S.W. of Babylon and 10 m. from Hillah, on the Nahr
Hindieh, or Hindieh canal, formerly known as "the Euphrates of
Borsippa," and even during the Arabic period called "the river of Birs."
Borsippa was the sister city of Babylon, and is often called in the
inscriptions Babylon II., also the "city without equal." Its patron god
was Nebo or Nabu. Like Babylon Borsippa is not mentioned in the oldest
inscriptions, but comes into importance fir