greatness.--Never shall I forget the bows--the civilities--the
congratulations--sheriffs bending before me--the Recorder smiling--the
Common Sergeant at my feet--the pageant was intoxicating; and when,
after having breakfasted, I stepped into that glazed and gilded house
upon wheels, called the state coach, and saw my sword bearer pop himself
into one of the boots, with the sword of state in his hand, I was lost
in ecstasy, I threw myself back upon the seat of the vehicle with all
imaginable dignity, but not without damage, for in the midst of my ease
and elegance I snapped off the cut steel hilt of my sword, by
accidentally bumping the whole weight of my body right, or rather wrong,
directly upon the top of it.

But what was a sword hilt or a bruise to _me_? I was _the_ Lord
Mayor--the greatest man of the greatest city of the greatest nation in
the world. The people realized my anticipations, and "Bravo, Scropps!"
and "Scropps for ever!" again resounded, as we proceeded slowly and
majestically towards the river, through a fog, which prevented our being
advantageously seen, and which got down the throat of the sword bearer,
who coughed incessantly during our progress, much to my annoyance, not
to speak of the ungraceful movements which his convulsive barkings gave
to the red velvet scabbard of the official glave as it stuck out of the
window of the coach.

We embarked in _my_ barge; a new scene of splendour awaited me, guns,
shouts, music, flags, banners, in short, every thing that fancy could
paint or a water bailiff provide; there, in the gilded bark, was
prepared a cold collation--I ate, but tasted nothing--fowls, _patés_,
tongue, game, beef, ham, all had the same flavour; champagne, hock, and
Madeira were all alike to _me_--Lord Mayor was all I saw, all I heard,
all I swallowed; every thing was pervaded by the one captivating word,