The Life of George Borrow

THE death of his wife was a last blow to Borrow, and he soon retired from the world. At first he appears to have sought consolation in books, to judge from the number of purchas...

WHEN Borrow entered Spain she was in the throes of civil war. In 1814 British blood and British money had restored to the throne Ferdinand VII., who, immediately he found himsel...

BORROW was now to enter upon that lengthy dispute with the Bible Society that almost brought about an open breach, and eventually proved the indirect cause that led to the sever...

DURING his wanderings in Portugal and Spain Borrow had carried out his intention of keeping a journal, from which on several occasions he sent transcriptions to Earl Street inst...

FROM the autumn of 1825 until the winter of 1832, when he obtained an introduction to the British & Foreign Bible Society, only fragmentary details of Borrow’s life exist. He de...

GREAT changes had taken place in Madrid during Borrow’s absence. The Carlists had actually appeared before its gates, although they had subsequently retired. Liberalism had been...

FOR the first time since his marriage, Captain Borrow found himself at liberty to settle down and educate his sons. He had spent much of his life in Norfolk, and he decided to r...

BORROW confesses that he was at a loss to know how to commence operations in Seville. He was entirely friendless, even the British Consul being unapproachable on account of his...

The Eastern Tour considerably interfered with the writing of _Lavengro_. There was a seven months’ break; but Borrow settled down to work on it again, still determined to take h...

ON 2nd April 1824, George Borrow was cast upon the world of London by the death of his father, “with an exterior shy and cold, under which lurk much curiosity, especially with r...

ON the morning of 30th April, whilst at breakfast, Borrow, according to his own account, received a visit from a man who announced that he was “A Police Agent.” He came from the...

BORROW had at last found work that was thoroughly congenial to him. It was not in his nature to exist outside his occupations, and his whole personality became bound up in the m...

BORROW was not a great correspondent, and he left behind him very few letters from distinguished men of his time. Among those few were several from Edward FitzGerald, whose char...

ON 28th July 1783 was held the annual fair at Menheniot, and for miles round the country folk flocked into the little Cornish village to join in the festivities. Among the thron...

AFTER his second tour in Wales, Borrow had submitted to John Murray the manuscript of his translation of _The Sleeping Bard_, which in 1830 had so alarmed the little Welsh books...

ON 14th December 1838 it was resolved by the General Committee of the Bible Society that Borrow should proceed once more to Spain to dispose of such copies of the Scriptures as...

BORROW had strong hopes that the Bible Society would continue to employ him. Mr Brandram had written (5th June 1835) that the Committee “will not very willingly suffer themselve...

DURING all these years _Lavengro_ had been making progress towards completion, irregular and spasmodic it would appear; but still each year brought it nearer to the printer. “I...

BORROW’S spirit chafed under this spell of enforced idleness. His horses were neighing in the stable and “Señor Antonio was neighing in the house,” as Maria Diaz expressed it; a...

“The Marqués de Santa Coloma met Borrow again at Seville. He had great difficulty in finding him out; though he was aware of the street in which he resided, no one knew him by n...

IT is not a little curious that no one should have thought of putting Borrow’s undoubted gifts as a linguist to some practical use. He himself had frequently cast his eyes in th...

BORROW remained in England for a month (3rd October/4th November), during which time he conferred with the Committee and Officials at Earl Street as to the future programme in S...

ONE of the finest traits in Borrow’s character was his devotion to his mother. He was always thoughtful for her comfort, even when fighting that almost hopeless battle in Russia...

ON 19th/31st July 1833 Borrow set out on a journey that was to some extent to realise his ambitions. He was to be trusted and encouraged and, what was most important of all, pra...

FOURTEEN months in London had shown Borrow how hard was the road of authorship. He confessed that he was not “formed by nature to be a pallid indoor student.” “The peculiar atmo...

THE prediction of the surgeon-barber was fulfilled; by the next morning the fever and cough had considerably abated, although the patient was still weak from loss of blood. This...

EARLY in May, Borrow, his wife and step-daughter left London to take up their residence at Oulton, in Suffolk. After years of wandering and vagabondage he was to settle down as...

BORROW was an unconventional editor. He foresaw the interminable delays likely to arise from allowing workmen to incorporate his corrections in the type. To obviate these, he fi...

DURING the months that followed Borrow’s return to Great Yarmouth, the question of the coming summer holiday was discussed. From the first Borrow himself had been for Wales. He...

{354} In the Appendix to _The Romany Rye_ Borrow wrote, “Having the proper pride of a gentleman and a scholar, he did not, in the year ’43, choose to permit himself to be exhibi...

IN March 1844 Borrow, unable longer to control the _Wanderlust_ within him, gave up the struggle, and determined to make a journey to the East. He was in London on the 20th, as...