صفحة 185 من 483

I greedily devoured the remnants of the shepherd's breakfast,

which consisted of bread, cheese, milk, and wine; the latter,

however, I did not like. Then, overcome by fatigue, I lay down

among some straw and fell asleep.

"It was noon when I awoke, and allured by the warmth of the sun,

which shone brightly on the white ground, I determined to

recommence my travels; and, depositing the remains of the

peasant's breakfast in a wallet I found, I proceeded across the

fields for several hours, until at sunset I arrived at a village.

How miraculous did this appear! The huts, the neater cottages,

and stately houses engaged my admiration by turns. The vegetables

in the gardens, the milk and cheese that I saw placed at the

windows of some of the cottages, allured my appetite. One of the

best of these I entered, but I had hardly placed my foot within

the door before the children shrieked, and one of the women

fainted. The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked

me, until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of

missile weapons, I escaped to the open country and fearfully took

refuge in a low hovel, quite bare, and making a wretched

appearance after the palaces I had beheld in the village.