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wit and eccentricity of his replies soon put his antagonist to silence.
No man had more of the true Englishman about him, at least so far as concerned the
defence of his rights and privileges, than Mr Dancer. He was a second Hampden in this respect; for, during the whole of his life, he would never permit any infringements on Harrow Weald Common. Whenever an encroachment took place, without any respect to rank or fortune, Daniel instantly headed the villagers, and abated the nuisance. This made him extremely popular.
Miserable and wretched as his disposition was, he was not accused of having ever
committed any act of injustice; on the contrary, he was sometimes known to have assisted those whose style of living and appearance were infinitely superior to his own.
He had no farming business but during the time of mowing his meadows. That of his hay harvest, then, seems to have been the only period of the year in which his mind was
occupied by business and this, too was the sole time in which jollity appeared to be familiar to his mansion; for he seemed then to have entirely divested himself of his natural character. No gentleman in the neighbourhood gave his mowers better beer, or in greater quantity, than Daniel did on this occasion. It was brought from a neighbouring
