Wordsworth's home at Alfoxden was one of the love-
liest nooks in England, surrounded by noble trees, with
the blue hills rising, range on range, around, atid the
green meadows winding down to the blue waters of
Bristol Channel, scarcely a mile away. The loftiest
hollies of England fringe these Quantock hills, amid
their environment of splendid oaks. It was a most
appropriate setting for the poetic jewels of thought and
inspiration.
Wordsworth and Coleridge roamed the hills and
haunted the dells and woodlands along the trickling
streams, until the simple rustics grew afraid of the
solemn townsmen who went peering into rocks and
streams, arguing, talking, quoting, declaiming. To thfe
astonished innocents who followed them at a safe dis-
tance, and shook their heads at the droning monologues
of the tall man with the green glasses, they seemed be-
witched. The observers " knowed no good would
come of they 'uns as alius had their 'eds in clouds."
" They made signs with they arms, and talked treason,"
said others. And at the village pot-house, the rustics
whispered over the strange wanderings of the myste-
rious roamers who seemed " alius a-lookin' and a-look-
in' for sommat."

" Depend upon it they're spies of they French cut-
throats. I heerd them talking of Bonypart and Robys-
pear," said Hodge.
A county magnate, hearing the talk of the rustics and
his lackeys, actually notified some London officials of



JVEW SCENES AND FR TENDS. lOl

the dangerous characters loitering in the neighborhood.
A spy was sent to watch the suspected men, who were
entirely unconscious of criticism or danger, and dogged
them until, finally, Coleridge, noticing a suspicious look-
ing person following their daily rambles, agreed with
Wordsworth to lead the man a dance.
