Carelessly I roamed As through a wide museum from whose stores 620 A casual rarity is singled out And has its brief perusal, then gives way To others, all supplanted in their turn; Till 'mid this crowded neighbourhood of things That are by nature most unneighbourly, 625 The head turns round and cannot right itself; And though an aching and a barren sense Of gay confusion still be uppermost, With few wise longings and but little love, Yet to the memory something cleaves at last, 630 Whence profit may be drawn in times to come.
Thus in submissive idleness, my Friend! The labouring time of autumn, winter, spring, Eight months! rolled pleasingly away; the ninth Came and returned me to my native hills.

635 * * * * * FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT [Footnote A: Wordsworth went from York to Cambridge, entering it by the coach road from the north-west.

This was doubtless the road which now leads to the city from Girton.

"The long-roofed chapel of King's College" must have been seen from that road .-- Ed.] [Footnote B: The Hoop Inn still exists, not now so famous as in the end of last century .-- Ed.] [Footnote C: He entered St.John's College in October 1787.

His rooms in the College were unknown to the officials a dozen years ago, although they are pretty clearly indicated by Wordsworth in this passage.