out endlessly; yet the sun shone so brightly, with such a
pure light, that there was something like the purity of one
of Nature's own grand spectacles. Arrived at Calais at four
in the morning of July 31st. Delightful walks in the evenings,
seeing far off in the west the coast of England like a
cloud, crested with Dover Castle, the evening star, and the
glory of the sky. The reflections in the water were more
beautiful than the sky itself; purple waves brighter than
precious stones for ever melting away upon the sands."


How simple are the elements of these delights! There is nothing here,
except fraternal affection, a sunrise, a sunset, a flock of bright
wild flowers; and yet the sonnets on _Westminster Bridge_ and
_Calais Sands_, and the stanzas on the _Daffodils_, have taken
their place among the permanent records of the profoundest human joy.

Another tour,--this time through Scotland,--undertaken in August 1803,
inspired Wordsworth with several of his best pieces. Miss
Wordsworth's diary of this tour has been lately published, and
should be familiar to all lovers of Nature. The sister's journal is
indeed the best introduction to the brother's poems. It has not--it
cannot have--their dignity and beauty; but it exemplifies the same
method of regarding Nature, the same self-identification with her
subtler aspects and entrance into her profounder charm. It is
interesting to notice how the same impression strikes both minds at
once. From the sister's it is quickly reflected in words of
exquisite delicacy and simplicity; in the brother's it germinates,
and reappears, it may be months or years afterwards, as the nucleus
of a mass of thought and feeling which has grown round it in his