OK. Where did this come from? It sounds like satire lol. 'notoriously knobbly legs': 'Notorious' means famous or rather infamous (i.e. famous for rather negative reasons), 'knobbly' means having lumps (which is the negative reason) So this phrase means that Wordsworth was famous or well known to have lumpy legs. 'Connoisseur': means expert or people who have a wide experience of a specific thing 'Passage and bearing': 'passage' is a synonym for gait or walk and 'bearing' is posture or how someone holds themselves. So this phrase means, Wordsworth was famous for having ugly, lumpy legs which were dismissed outright or mocked by women (who knew about male legs) according to De Quincey's nasty remark but they were actually really great legs ibecause they allowed him to walk and carry himself well. I hope that helps

"notoriously knobbly legs" - famously lacking in proportion, "connoisseur" - one who appreciates the subtleties and can act as a judge, "passage and bearing" - this term describes the act of making one's way, especially through difficult terrain.

Your answer is not too late as I am still modifying my translation of this essay. I have been confused by "knobbly" and "bearing" for days, and now they finally make sense to me. Thank you!

I know this answer is a little late, but I can't help myself, haha. "notoriously knobbly legs" is a reference to skinny person. Typically skinny legs have less flesh on them so the bones are more visible. So skinny people are notorious or well known for their knobbly legs. "by all female connoisseurs" in this context, is referring to the opinions of people (in this case more than likely men) that William's legs, in comparison to a beautiful woman's legs were pointedly condemned. A female connoisseur is a person that has an appreciation of the finer subtleties of a woman, much as a wine connoisseur has of wine. "were magnificent shanks when it came to passage and bearing" refers back to the knobbly legs. The meaning here is his legs were strong and reliable and could take him many miles. Hope this gives some more meaning and not confuse you :)