Old Hampshire Mapped
Cobbett's Hampshire
Transcription (59)turnpike road
Woodcote
Binley
taxes
exciseman
tea
tobacco
It is about six miles from Burghclere to this place [Hurstbourne Tarrant]; and, we made it about twelve; not in order to avoid the turnpike road; but, because we do not ride about to see turnpike roads; and, moreover, because I had seen this most monstrously hilly turnpike-road before. We came through a village called WOODCOTE, and another, called BINLEY. I never saw any inhabited places more [r]ecluse than these. Yet into these, the all-searching eye of the taxing THING reaches. Its Exciseman can tell it what is doing even in the little odd corner of BINLEY; for even there I saw, over the door of a place, not half so good as the place in which my fowls roost, 'LICENSED TO DEAL IN TEA AND TOBACCO.' Poor, half-starved wretches of BINLEY! The hand of taxation, the collection for the sinecures and pensious (sic), must fix its nails even in them, who really appeared too miserable to be called by the name of people.
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