inherent madness of men of genius. One of the testimonies that we have
as to Borrow's later life at Oulton is to the effect that he got
bewildered at times and fancied himself Wodin; but the substratum of
sanity is strongly exhibited in the remedy which he himself applied.
"What do you think I do when I get bewildered after this fashion? I go
out to the sty and listen to the grunting of the pigs until I get back to
myself." {49}

Of Isopel's history we know extremely little, save what she herself tells
us. Her father was an officer who was killed in a naval action before he
could fulfil the promise of marriage he had made to her mother, a small
milliner, who died in the workhouse at Long Melford within three months
of the effort of giving birth to an amazon so large and so fierce and so
well able to take her own part as Isopel. At fourteen this fine specimen
of workhouse upbringing was placed in service, from which she emancipated
herself by knocking down her mistress. After two years more at the
"large house" she was once more apprenticed; and this time knocked down
her master in return for an affront. A second return to the workhouse
appearing inadvisable, she traversed the highways of England in various
capacities, and became acquainted with some of those remarkable though
obscure characters who travelled the roads of our country at that period.
A sense of loneliness drove her among unworthy travelling companions,
such as the flying tinker and grey Moll, in whose society she breaks upon
our notice. Some of the vagrants with whom she came into contact had
occasionally attempted to lay violent hands upon her person and effects,
but had been invariably humbled by her without the aid of either justice
or constable.

Of her specific exploits as a bruiser we hear of at least two near Dover.
Once, the cart she and her old mistress travelled with was stopped by two