Page:The grand tour in the eighteenth century by Mead, William Edward.djvu/135

 gone, and little minding anything save drinking and folly, caused us to take coach sooner than we should have done."

The unintelligent way in which many English travelers employed their time led moralists to regard much of the touring of the Continent as mere active idleness: "Too many of our young travellers betray the symptoms of this disease. The precipitation with which they hurry from place to place, the shortness of their stay where it ought to be of some duration, and its length where no reasons can justify it; their little notice of things deserving much consideration, and their extraordinary attention to matters of small moment; their neglect of useful or agreeable knowledge and information, and their shameful preference of uninteresting and trivial subjects; these and other instances of gross misconduct have long contributed to make travelling a business of great charge and little profit."

"To lessen the Trouble which young Dilettanti often meet with Abroad in their Virtuoso Pursuits," says Breval, "has been one of my principal Aims in this Undertaking: So common it is to see them following a Wild Goose Chace under the conduct of some ignorant Tomb-shewer; overlooking Things of the greatest Importance, while their Attention is taken up with Trifles; and posting thro' a Town where they might spend a Week with Pleasure and Profit, to make a Month's Halt perhaps at another, which would be half a Day's Stop to a Man of Taste and Experience."

To the same purport, but more picturesquely, Cogan remarks: "Should their road lead through Paradise itself; or should they have taken a long and tedious journey expressly to see the garden of Eden, it is a question whether our impetuous gentlemen would not tip the post-boy half a crown extraordinary to mend his pace, as they were driving through it!"

People of other nationalities did not fail to remark upon the peculiar methods of the English. "The French have an opinion," says a contemporary English writer, "that the English are … in such a violent hurry upon the road,