Kings & rulers > Kenilworth > Volume 1

KENILWORTH.
169
mute the vault and all in it into a heap of ruins,
which might serve at once for my slaughter-house
and my grave. This cured me of alchemy, and
fain would I have returned to the honest hammer
and anvil; but who would bring a horse to be
shoed by the Devil’s post ? Meantime, I had won
the regard of my honest Flibbertigibbet here,
he being then at Faringdou with his master, the
sage Erasmus Holiday, by teaching him a few se¬
crets, such as please youth at his age ; and af¬
ter much counsel together, we agreed, that since
I could get no practice in the ordinary way, I
should try how I could work out business among
these ignorant boors, by practising upon their
silly fears, and thanks to Flibbertigibbet who
hath spread my renown, I have not wanted cus¬
tom. But it is won at too great risk, and I fear
I shall be at length taken up for a wizard ; so
that I seek but an opportunity to leave this vault
when I can have the protection of some worship¬
ful person against the fury of the populace, in
case they chance to recognize me.”
“ And art thou,” said Tressilian, “ perfectly
acquainted with the roads in this country ?”
“ I could ride them every inch by midnight,”
answered Wayland Smith, which was the name
this adept had adopted.
“ Thou hast no horse to ride upon,” said Tres¬
silian.
“ Pardon me,” replied Wayland; “ I have as
good a tit as ever yeoman bestrode ; and I forgot
to say it was the best part of the mediciner’s le¬
gacy to me, excepting one or two of his medical
secrets, which I picked up without his knowledge
and against his will.”
“ Get thyself washed and shaved then,” said
Tressilian ; “ reform thy dress as well as thou
canst, and fling away these grotesque trappings ;