'French salt-smugglers,' says Enoch, as if this were self-evident. 'Now, many an English gentleman had made up his mind that staying in London and dabbling with Alchemy was safer than riding 'round the island making war against Cromwell and his New Model Army. So I'd no difficulty lightening my load, and stuffing my purse, in London. Then I nipped up to Oxford, meaning only to pay a call on John Wilkins and pick up some copies of Cryptonomicon. '