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The Pocket George Borrow 
 
The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Pocket George Borrow, by George 
Borrow, Edited by Edward Thomas 
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Title: The Pocket George Borrow 
Author: George Borrow 
Release Date: November 4, 2004 [eBook #13957] 
Language: English 
Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) 
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE 
POCKET GEORGE BORROW*** 
 
Transcribed from the 1912 Chatto & Windus edition by David Price, 
email 
[email protected]
THE POCKET GEORGE BORROW PASSAGES CHOSEN FROM 
THE WORKS OF BORROW BY EDWARD THOMAS 
To my brother Julian. 
 
NOTE 
When a man has read once, or twice, or three times, through Borrow's 
books, he will probably dip into them here and there at intervals. By so 
doing he gradually makes his own anthology; but it may be that he will 
yet find place for another man's, if it has no pretension to completeness 
or authority, and will go into his pocket. Borrow is not a pithy writer, 
nor is he best when sententious; the following passages are, therefore, 
somewhat longer than is usual in this series of Anthologies. Even so, 
many of the best things in his books, especially from Wild Wales, have 
had to be omitted, because they are longer still. But this selection aims 
only at giving strangers to Borrow an invitation or challenge, and 
lovers a few sprigs of his heather for a keepsake. Those who find 
themselves disagreeing with it may at any rate have had their own taste 
cleared and braced in the process. 
Edward Thomas. 
 
BORROW'S WRITINGS 
 
ROMANTIC BALLADS TARGUM ZINCALI: THE GYPSIES OF 
SPAIN THE BIBLE IN SPAIN LAVENGRO ROMANY RYE WILD 
WALES THE SLEEPING BARD ROMANO LAVO-LIL THE 
TURKISH JESTER AND OTHER TRANSLATIONS 
 
CONTENTS
It is very possible that the reader . . . Zincali "Are you of the least 
use?" . . . Lavengro "People are becoming vastly sharp" . . . Lavengro 
"Will you take a glass of wine?" . . . Lavengro One day it happened . . . 
Lavengro Because they have been known . . . Zincali One fact has 
always struck us . . . Zincali Many of them reside in caves . . . Zincali It 
has always struck me . . . Lavengro A sound was heard . . . Lavengro 
After much feasting . . . Zincali The English Gypsies . . . Zincali "I say, 
Jasper!" . . . Romany Rye "What is your opinion of death, Mr. 
Petulengro?" . . . Lavengro Beating of women . . . Romany Rye Of my 
wife . . . Wild Wales In the summer. . . . Wild Wales Fear God, and 
take your own part . . . Romany Rye Soldiers and sailors . . Romany 
Rye There they come, the bruisers . . . Lavengro The writer now 
wishes . . . Romany Rye "No," said I . . . Romany Rye Oh, genial and 
gladdening! . . . Lavengro On the whole . . . Romany Rye On the 
following day . . . Romany Rye The binding . . . Lavengro I 
commenced the Bible in Spain . . . Zincali And, as I wandered . . . 
Lavengro At length the moon shone out . . . Bible in Spain Upon the 
shoulder of the goatherd . . . Bible in Spain I have always found . . . 
Bible in Spain "C'est moi, mon maitre" . . . Bible in Spain After 
travelling four days and nights . . . Bible in Spain The posada. . . . Bible 
in Spain The landlord brought the ale . . . Wild Wales "Young 
gentleman" . . . Lavengro Becoming soon tired . . . Wild Wales Late in 
the afternoon . . . Bible in Spain I had till then . . . Bible in Spain "What 
mountains are those?" . . . Bible in Spain We had scarcely been five 
minutes . . . Bible in Spain I have heard talk . . . Lavengro "Well," said 
the old man . . . Lavengro I sat upon the bank . . . Lavengro Ah, that 
Irish! . . . Lavengro I said: "Now, Murtagh!" . . . Romany Rye Here I 
interrupted . . . Romany Rye "And who is Jerry Grant?" . . . Lavengro 
"Is it a long time?" . . . Wild Wales Now, a tinker . . . Lavengro "Did 
you speak, Don Jorge" . . . Bible