_Sunday, November 19th._
Sir Matthew Hale was a member of Cromwell's Parliament and Lord Chief
Justice of England in 1671. His "Golden Maxim" is famous:
A Sabbath well spent brings a week of content,
And health for the toils of to-morrow;
But a Sabbath profaned, whate'er may be gained,
Is a certain forerunner of sorrow!
Anxious as we were to reach our home as soon as possible, our knowledge
of Sir Matthew's maxim and of the Commandment "_Remember_ that thou keep
holy the Sabbath Day," prevented us from travelling on Sunday.
Penzance is said to have a temperature cooler in summer and warmer in
winter than any other town in Britain, and plants such as dracaenas,
aloes, escollonia, fuchsias, and hydrangeas, grown under glass in winter
elsewhere, flourished here in the open air, while palms or tree ferns
grow to a wonderful height, quite impossible under similar conditions in
our more northern latitude, where they would certainly be cut down by
frost. We also noted that the forest trees were still fairly covered
with autumnal leaves, but when we arrived home two days later similar
trees were quite bare.
After a short walk we returned to the hotel for breakfast, over which we
discussed the disappearance of our friend of yesterday, wondering what
the business could be that had occupied his time for a whole week in the
neighbourhood of Penzance, and why he should have an engagement on the
Sunday "some miles in the country," when we could have done so well with
his company ourselves.
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