KENILWORTH - Penn State University

Sir Walter Scottversation, he might possibly condescend to tell him where hecould find the smith they spoke of. He entered the hut accordingly,and sat down with the learned Magister ErasmusHoliday, partook of his furmity, and listened to his learnedaccount of himself for a good half hour, ere he could get himto talk upon any other topic, The reader will readily excuseour accompanying this man of learning into all the detailswith which he favoured Tressilian, of which the followingsketch may suffice.He was born at Hogsnorton, where, according to popularsaying, the pigs play upon the organ; a proverb which he interpretedallegorically, as having reference to the herd ofEpicurus, of which litter Horace confessed himself a porker.His name of Erasmus he derived partly from his father havingbeen the son of a renowned washerwoman, who had heldthat great scholar in clean linen all the while he was at Oxford;a task of some difficulty, as he was only possessed oftwo shirts, “the one,” as she expressed herself, “to wash theother,” The vestiges of one of these camiciae, as Master Holidayboasted, were still in his possession, having fortunatelybeen detained by his grandmother to cover the balance of herbill. But he thought there was a still higher and overrulingcause for his having had the name of Erasmus conferred onhim—namely, the secret presentiment of his mother’s mindthat, in the babe to be christened, was a hidden genius, whichshould one day lead him to rival the fame of the great scholarof Amsterdam. The schoolmaster’s surname led him as farinto dissertation as his Christian appellative. He was inclinedto think that he bore the name of Holiday quasi lucus a nonlucendo, because he gave such few holidays to his school.“Hence,” said he, “the schoolmaster is termed, classically, LudiMagister, because he deprives boys of their play.” And yet, onthe other hand, he thought it might bear a very different interpretation,and refer to his own exquisite art in arrangingpageants, morris-dances, May-day festivities, and such-likeholiday delights, for which he assured Tressilian he had positivelythe purest and the most inventive brain in England;insomuch, that his cunning in framing such pleasures had madehim known to many honourable persons, both in countryand court, and especially to the noble Earl of Leicester. “Andalthough he may now seem to forget me,” he said, “in themultitude of state affairs, yet I am well assured that, had he113