登陆注册
15427700000062

第62章

Desire for novelty-Lives of the lawless-Countenances-Old yeoman and dame-We live near the sea-Uncouth-looking volume-The other condition-Draoitheac-A dilemma-The Antinomian-Lodowick Muggleton-Almost blind-Anders Vedel.

BUT to proceed with my own story:I now ceased all at once to take much pleasure in the pursuits which formerly interested me,Iyawned over Ab Gwilym,even as I now in my mind's eye perceive the reader yawning over the present pages.What was the cause of this?

Constitutional lassitude,or a desire for novelty?Both it is probable had some influence in the matter,but I rather think that the latter feeling was predominant.The parting words of my brother had sunk into my mind.He had talked of travelling in strange regions and seeing strange and wonderful objects,and my imagination fell to work,and drew pictures of adventures wild and fantastic,and I thought what a fine thing it must be to travel,and I wished that my father would give me his blessing,and the same sum that he had given my brother,and bid me go forth into the world;always forgetting that I had neither talents nor energies at this period which would enable me to make any successful figure on its stage.

And then I again sought up the book which had so captivated me in my infancy,and I read it through;and I sought up others of a similar character,and in seeking for them I met books also of adventure,but by no means of a harmless deion,lives of wicked and lawless men,Murray and Latroon-books of singular power,but of coarse and prurient imagination-books at one time highly in vogue;now deservedly forgotten,and most difficult to be found.

And when I had gone through these books,what was my state of mind?

I had derived entertainment from their perusal,but they left me more listless and unsettled than before,and really knew not what to do to pass my time.My philological studies had become distasteful,and I had never taken any pleasure in the duties of my profession.I sat behind my desk in a state of torpor,my mind almost as blank as the paper before me,on which I rarely traced a line.It was always a relief to hear the bell ring,as it afforded me an opportunity of doing something which I was yet capable of doing,to rise and open the door and stare in the countenances of the visitors.All of a sudden I fell to studying countenances,and soon flattered myself that I had made considerable progress in the science.

'There is no faith in countenances,'said some Roman of old;'trust anything but a person's countenance.''Not trust a man's countenance?'say some moderns,'why,it is the only thing in many people that we can trust;on which account they keep it most assiduously out of the way.Trust not a man's words if you please,or you may come to very erroneous conclusions;but at all times place implicit confidence in a man's countenance,in which there is no deceit;and of necessity there can be none.If people would but look each other more in the face,we should have less cause to complain of the deception of the world;nothing so easy as physiognomy nor so useful.'Somewhat in this latter strain Ithought at the time of which I am speaking.I am now older,and,let us hope,less presumptuous.It is true that in the course of my life I have scarcely ever had occasion to repent placing confidence in individuals whose countenances have prepossessed me in their favour;though to how many I may have been unjust,from whose countenances I may have drawn unfavourable conclusions,is another matter.

But it had been decreed by that Fate which governs our every action that I was soon to return to my old pursuits.It was written that I should not yet cease to be Lav-engro,though I had become,in my own opinion,a kind of Lavater.It is singular enough that my renewed ardour for philology seems to have been brought about indirectly by my physiognomical researches,in which had I not indulged,the event which I am about to relate,as far as connected with myself,might never have occurred.Amongst the various countenances which I admitted during the period of my answering the bell,there were two which particularly pleased me,and which belonged to an elderly yeoman and his wife,whom some little business had brought to our law sanctuary.I believe they experienced from me some kindness and attention,which won the old people's hearts.So,one day,when their little business had been brought to a conclusion,and they chanced to be alone with me,who was seated as usual behind the deal desk in the outer room,the old man with some confusion began to tell me how grateful himself and dame felt for the many attentions I had shown them,and how desirous they were to make me some remuneration.'Of course,'said the old man,'we must be cautious what we offer to so fine a young gentleman as yourself;we have,however,something we think will just suit the occasion,a strange kind of thing which people say is a book,though no one that my dame or myself have shown it to can make anything out of it;so as we are told that you are a fine young gentleman,who can read all the tongues of the earth and stars,as the Bible says,we thought,I and my dame,that it would be just the thing you would like and my dame has it now at the bottom of her basket.'

'A book!'said I,'how did you come by it?'

'We live near the sea,'said the old man;'so near that sometimes our thatch is wet with the spray;and it may now be a year ago that there was a fearful storm,and a ship was driven ashore during the night,and ere the morn was a complete wreck.When we got up at daylight,there were the poor shivering crew at our door;they were foreigners,red-haired men,whose speech we did not understand;but we took them in,and warmed them,and they remained with us three days;and when they went away they left behind them this thing,here it is,part of the contents of a box which was washed ashore.'

'And did you learn who they were?'

'Why,yes;they made us understand that they were Danes.'

同类推荐
  • 小儿诊视门

    小儿诊视门

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 南濠诗话

    南濠诗话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 否泰錄

    否泰錄

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 经学通论

    经学通论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • HISTORY OF FLORENCE

    HISTORY OF FLORENCE

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 陌上花开为君倾

    陌上花开为君倾

    既不回头,何必不忘.既然无缘,何须誓言.不管是上一世还是这一世你始终只相信自己看见的.你是帝尊又怎样!挖心之痛永世不忘!
  • 佛说鸯掘摩经

    佛说鸯掘摩经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 千觞剑尊

    千觞剑尊

    吾乃剑尊,破长空,千觞醉,灭尽天下不平事!
  • 最高王者

    最高王者

    风起云涌,一次意外重生,踏上雄风之旅,主人公孤独天祥,带你一起争霸异界。扬我男儿气势。
  • 山河染

    山河染

    魂穿异域,顾小池在一片花海中惊醒,这一世她不再是别人手中的棋子,迎接她的将是一个全新的未来,然而,随着顾小池的苏醒,沉寂了几千年的世界再度暗潮翻涌,一股无形大手暗中操控,在各方势力的围剿中,机缘巧合之下,解开层层生世之谜,主宰天地。山河破碎,一双人影,“我想要的,不过是一山一水,一竹楼。”“我想要,就只有你。”相视一笑,龙凰聚,青涎笔,点染万里山河。
  • 爱的火花

    爱的火花

    一个平凡女孩,从乡下来到城市,遇到一个冷酷高傲的富二代。“你真的跟她长得很像,但是她不辞而别,抛弃了我!”他如此霸气地说道。“可你不能把气往我身上撒啊!”她内心不满。“谁叫和她长得如此相似!”他很是高傲。
  • 穹血神路

    穹血神路

    天地炎黄,吞噬万脉;雄霸寰宇,气盖无双!武者修炼到极致,就会衍神通造仙法,可擎天镇地,一口真气喷射九天,震慑妖神仙魔。云飞凭借炎黄血脉,吞万脉,铸神躯,修炼《龙凤夺天功》,从此踏上擎天憾地之路。睥睨乾坤独为尊,纵横苍穹我一人。***ps:414771045
  • 情逝三生

    情逝三生

    他,情感深陷于一对姐妹之中,至爱一人,则深负一人。她,被豪门恶少强娶,痴心于初恋真情,而命运残酷无情。黑帮大佬垂涎于她之美色,而丈夫却还浑然不知。姐妹同母异父,身世成谜……官场、商战、黑道,生死轮回的爱情,三生三世的分离。痴爱大悲,尽在《情逝三生》。
  • 火影忍者之千漩波月

    火影忍者之千漩波月

    穿越到第二次忍界大战,父亲是千手一族和宇智波一族私奔出来的两人生出来的,母亲是漩涡一族和波风一族生出来的。你妹啊!这关系也太坑爹了吧!那见到漩涡一族千手一族宇智波一族波风一族都要问好?唯一的好处是有了漩涡一族的庞大查克拉,宇智波一族的写轮眼千手一族的基因又把使用写轮眼会下降视力的副作用抵消了,还有波风一族代代相传的超帅颜值,(怪不得我们的鸣人太子哥长的那么帅。)千漩波月(我们的主角)大笑“我太完美了!”在以后会回到都市,开始校园装13的生活O(∩_∩)O~~
  • 毛毛虫与蝴蝶

    毛毛虫与蝴蝶

    “六一”前夕,毛毛虫在学校惹了“祸”,制造了一起“汉堡包事件”……惊恐的毛毛虫离家出走,逃到了乡下……一个人在野外的一间茅屋里过夜,你猜又会发生什么样的故事呢?在乡村,她结识了新朋友……对蝴蝶产生了兴趣,捕捉并观察蝴蝶,采集蝴蝶的幼虫进行养殖,发现了蝴蝶的许多秘密。