 that the painter was very little honoured by the
deity.« Peregrine was astonished at this surprising perversion of the words and
meaning of a Latin line, which, at first, he could not help thinking was a
premeditated joke; but upon second thoughts, he saw no reason to doubt that it
was the extemporaneous effect of sheer pertness and ignorance, at which he broke
out into an immoderate fit of laughter. Pallet believing that the gentleman's
mirth was occasioned by his arch animadversion upon the work of sangpree,
underwent the same emotion in a much louder strain, and endeavoured to heighten
the jest, by more observations of the same nature, while the doctor confounded
at his impudence and want of knowledge, reprimanded him in these words of Homer,
 
                 Siga, mn tis allos Axaion toyton akoysh myton.
 
This rebuke, the reader will easily perceive, was not calculated for the
meridian of his friend's intellects, but uttered with a view of raising his own
character in the opinion of Mr. Pickle, who retorted this parade of learning in
three verses from the same author, being part of the speech of Polydamas to
Hector, importing that it is impossible for one man to excel in every thing. The
self-sufficient physician, who did not expect such a repartee from a youth of
Peregrine's appearance, looked upon his reply as a fair challenge, and instantly
rehearsed forty or fifty lines of the Iliad in a breath; and observing that the
stranger made no effort to match this effusion, interpreted his silence into
submission; then, in order to ascertain his victory, insulted him with divers
fragments of authors, whom his supposed competitor did not even know by name;
while Mr. Pallet stared with admiration at the profound scholarship of his
companion. Our young gentleman, far from repining at this superiority, laughed
within himself at the ridiculous ambition of the pedantic doctor, who must have
been at infinite pains in conning these detached pieces, with a view of
retailing them in company for the credit of his genius and knowledge. He rated
him in his own mind as a meer index-hunter, who held the eel of science by the
tail, and foresaw an infinite fund of diversion in his solemnity and pride, if
properly extracted by means of his fellow-traveller's vanity and assurance.
Prompted by these considerations, he resolved to cultivate their acquaintance,
and, if possible, amuse himself at their expence in his journey through
Flanders, understanding that they were determined upon the same route. In this
view he treated them with extraordinary attention, and seemed to pay particular
deference to
