The Rambler. Tuesday, April 3, 1750
To be continued on TUESDAYS and SATURDAYS.
Et nunc omnis Ager, nunc omnis parturit Arbos,
Nunc frondent Silvae, nunc formosissimus Annus.
VIRG.
Every Man is sufficiently discontented with some Circumstances of his
present State, to suffer his Imagination to range more or less in quest of
future Happiness, and to fix upon some Point of Time, in which he shall,
by the Removal of the Inconvenience which now perplexes him, or the
Acquisition of Advantage which he at present wants, find his Condition of
Life very much improved.
When this Time, which is too often expected with great Impatience, at last
arrives, it generally comes without the Blessing for which it was desired;
but we solace ourselves with some new Prospect, and press forward again
with equal Eagerness.
It is some Advantage to a Man, in whom this Temper prevails in any great
Degree, when he turns his Hopes upon Things wholly out of his own Power,
since he forbears then to precipitate his Affairs, for the Sake of the
great Event that is to complete his Felicity, and waits for the blissful
Hour, without neglecting such Measures as are necessary to be taken in the
mean Time.
I have long known a Person of this Temper, who indulged his Dream of
Happiness with less Hurt to himself than such chimerical Wishes commonly
produce, and adjusted his Scheme with such Address, that his Hopes were in
full bloom three parts of the Year, and in the other part never wholly
blasted. Many, perhaps, would be desirous of learning by what Means he
procured to himself such a cheap and lasting Satisfaction. It was gained
only by a constant Practice of referring the Removal of all his Uneasiness
to the Coming of the next Spring. If his Affairs were disordered, he could
regulate them in the Spring; if a Regimen was prescribed him, the Spring
was the proper Time of pursuing it; if what he wanted was at a high Price,
it would fall its Value in the Spring.
The Spring, indeed, did often come without any of these Effects; but he
was always certain that the next would be more propitious; and was never
convinced that the present Spring would fail him until the Middle of
Summer; for he always talked of the Spring as coming 'till it was past,
and when it was once past, every one agreed with him that it was coming.
By long Converse with this Man, I am, perhaps, in some Degree brought to
feel the same immoderate Pleasure in the Contemplation of this delightful
Season; but I have the Satisfaction of finding many, whom it can be no
Shame to resemble, infected with the same Enthusiasm; for there is, I
believe, scarce any Poet of Eminence, who has not left some Testimony of
his Fondness for the Flowers, the Zephyrs, and the Warblers of the Spring.
Nor has the most luxuriant Imagination been able to describe the Serenity
and Happiness of the golden Age otherwise than by giving a perpetual
Spring, as the highest Reward of uncorrupted Innocence.
There is, indeed, something inexpressibly pleasing in the annual
Renovation of the World, and the new Display of the Treasures of Nature.
The Cold and Darkness of Winter, with the naked Deformity of every Object
on which we turn our Eyes, makes us necessarily rejoice at the succeeding
Season, as well for what we have escaped, as for what we may enjoy; and
every budding Flower, which a warm Situation brings early to our View, is
considered by us as a Messenger, to inform us of the Approach of more
joyous Days.
The Spring affords to a Mind, so free from the Disturbance of Cares or
Passions as to be vacant to calm Amusements, almost every Thing that our
present State makes us capable of enjoying. The variegated Verdure of the
Fields and Woods, the Succession of grateful Odours, the Voice of Pleasure
pouring out its Notes on every Side, with the Observation of the Gladness
apparently conceived by every Animal, from the Growth of his Food, and the
Clemency of the Weather, throw over the whole Earth an Air of Gayety,
which is very significantly expressed by the Smile of Nature.
There are Men to whom these Scenes are able to give no Delight, and who
hurry away from all the Varieties of rural Beauty, to lose their Hours,
and divert their Thoughts by Cards, or publick Assemblies, a Tavern
Dinner, or the Prattle of the Day.
It may be laid down as a Position which will seldom deceive, that when a
Man cannot bear his own Company there is something wrong. He must fly from
himself, either because he feels a Tediousness in Life from the Equipoise
of an empty Mind, which, having no Tendency to one Motion more than
another but as it is impelled by some external Power, must always have
recourse to foreign Objects; or he must be afraid of the Intrusion of some
unpleasing Ideas, and, perhaps, is always struggling to escape from the
Remembrance of a Loss, the Fear of a Calamity, or some other Thought of
greater Horror.
Those, who are incapacitated to enjoy the Pleasures of Contemplation, by
their Griefs, may, very properly, apply to such Diversions, provided they
are innocent, as lay strong hold on the Attention; and those, whom Fear of
any future Calamity chains down to Misery, must endeavour to obviate the
Danger.
My Considerations shall, on this Occasion, be turned on such as are
burthensome to themselves merely because they want Subjects for
Reflection, and to whom the Volume of Nature is thrown open without
affording them Pleasure or Instruction, because they never learned to read
the Characters.
A French Author has advanced this seeming Paradox, that very few Men know
how to take a Walk; and, indeed, it is very true, that few Men know how
to take a Walk with a Prospect of any other Pleasure, than the same
Company would have afforded them in any other Circumstances.
There are Animals that borrow their Colour from the neighbouring Body,
and, consequently, vary their Hue as they happen to change their Place. In
like manner it ought to be the Endeavour of every Man to derive his
Reflexions from the Objects about him; for it is to no purpose that he
alters his Position, if his Attention continues fixt to the same Point.
The Mind should be kept open to the Access of every new Idea, and so far
disengaged from the Predominance of particular Thoughts, as to be able to
accommodate itself to emergent Occasions, and remark every Thing that
offers itself to present Examination.
A Man that has formed this Habit of turning every new Object to his
Entertainment, finds in the Productions of Nature an inexhaustible Stock
of Materials, upon which he can employ himself, without any Temptations to
Envy or Malevolence; Faults, perhaps, seldom totally avoided by those,
whose Judgment is much exercised upon the Works of Art. He has always a
certain Prospect of discovering new Reasons for adoring the Sovereign
Author of the Universe, and probable Hopes of making some Discovery of
Benefit to others, or of Profit to himself. There is no doubt but many
Vegetables and Animals have Qualities that might be of great Use; to the
Knowledge of which there is required no great Sagacity of Penetration, or
Fatigue of Study, but only frequent Experiments, and close Attention. What
is said by the Chymists of their darling Mercury, is, perhaps, true of
every Body through the whole Creation, that, if a thousand Lives should be
spent upon it, all its Properties would not be found out.
Mankind must necessarily be diversified by various Tastes, since Life
affords and requires such multiplicity of Employments; and a Nation of
Naturalists is neither to be hoped, or desired, but it is surely not
improper to point out a fresh Amusement to those who langush in Health,
and repine in Plenty, for want of some Source of Diversion that may be
less easily exhausted, and to inform the Multitudes of both Sexes, who are
burthened with every new Day, that there are many Shews which they have
not seen.
He that enlarges his Curiosity after the Works of Nature, demonstrably
multiplies the Inlets to Happiness, and, therefore, the younger Part of my
Readers, to whom I dedicate this vernal Speculation, must excuse me for
calling upon them to make use at once of the Spring of the Year, and the
Spring of Life; to acquire, while their Minds may be yet impressed with
new Images, a Love of innocent Pleasures, and an ardour for useful
Knowledge; and to remember, that a blighted Spring makes a barren Year,
and that the vernal Flowers, however beautiful and gay, are only intended
by Nature as Preparatives to Autumnal Fruits.
Et nunc omnis Ager, nunc omnis parturit Arbos,
Nunc frondent Silvae, nunc formosissimus Annus.
VIRG.
Every Man is sufficiently discontented with some Circumstances of his
present State, to suffer his Imagination to range more or less in quest of
future Happiness, and to fix upon some Point of Time, in which he shall,
by the Removal of the Inconvenience which now perplexes him, or the
Acquisition of Advantage which he at present wants, find his Condition of
Life very much improved.
When this Time, which is too often expected with great Impatience, at last
arrives, it generally comes without the Blessing for which it was desired;
but we solace ourselves with some new Prospect, and press forward again
with equal Eagerness.
It is some Advantage to a Man, in whom this Temper prevails in any great
Degree, when he turns his Hopes upon Things wholly out of his own Power,
since he forbears then to precipitate his Affairs, for the Sake of the
great Event that is to complete his Felicity, and waits for the blissful
Hour, without neglecting such Measures as are necessary to be taken in the
mean Time.
I have long known a Person of this Temper, who indulged his Dream of
Happiness with less Hurt to himself than such chimerical Wishes commonly
produce, and adjusted his Scheme with such Address, that his Hopes were in
full bloom three parts of the Year, and in the other part never wholly
blasted. Many, perhaps, would be desirous of learning by what Means he
procured to himself such a cheap and lasting Satisfaction. It was gained
only by a constant Practice of referring the Removal of all his Uneasiness
to the Coming of the next Spring. If his Affairs were disordered, he could
regulate them in the Spring; if a Regimen was prescribed him, the Spring
was the proper Time of pursuing it; if what he wanted was at a high Price,
it would fall its Value in the Spring.
The Spring, indeed, did often come without any of these Effects; but he
was always certain that the next would be more propitious; and was never
convinced that the present Spring would fail him until the Middle of
Summer; for he always talked of the Spring as coming 'till it was past,
and when it was once past, every one agreed with him that it was coming.
By long Converse with this Man, I am, perhaps, in some Degree brought to
feel the same immoderate Pleasure in the Contemplation of this delightful
Season; but I have the Satisfaction of finding many, whom it can be no
Shame to resemble, infected with the same Enthusiasm; for there is, I
believe, scarce any Poet of Eminence, who has not left some Testimony of
his Fondness for the Flowers, the Zephyrs, and the Warblers of the Spring.
Nor has the most luxuriant Imagination been able to describe the Serenity
and Happiness of the golden Age otherwise than by giving a perpetual
Spring, as the highest Reward of uncorrupted Innocence.
There is, indeed, something inexpressibly pleasing in the annual
Renovation of the World, and the new Display of the Treasures of Nature.
The Cold and Darkness of Winter, with the naked Deformity of every Object
on which we turn our Eyes, makes us necessarily rejoice at the succeeding
Season, as well for what we have escaped, as for what we may enjoy; and
every budding Flower, which a warm Situation brings early to our View, is
considered by us as a Messenger, to inform us of the Approach of more
joyous Days.
The Spring affords to a Mind, so free from the Disturbance of Cares or
Passions as to be vacant to calm Amusements, almost every Thing that our
present State makes us capable of enjoying. The variegated Verdure of the
Fields and Woods, the Succession of grateful Odours, the Voice of Pleasure
pouring out its Notes on every Side, with the Observation of the Gladness
apparently conceived by every Animal, from the Growth of his Food, and the
Clemency of the Weather, throw over the whole Earth an Air of Gayety,
which is very significantly expressed by the Smile of Nature.
There are Men to whom these Scenes are able to give no Delight, and who
hurry away from all the Varieties of rural Beauty, to lose their Hours,
and divert their Thoughts by Cards, or publick Assemblies, a Tavern
Dinner, or the Prattle of the Day.
It may be laid down as a Position which will seldom deceive, that when a
Man cannot bear his own Company there is something wrong. He must fly from
himself, either because he feels a Tediousness in Life from the Equipoise
of an empty Mind, which, having no Tendency to one Motion more than
another but as it is impelled by some external Power, must always have
recourse to foreign Objects; or he must be afraid of the Intrusion of some
unpleasing Ideas, and, perhaps, is always struggling to escape from the
Remembrance of a Loss, the Fear of a Calamity, or some other Thought of
greater Horror.
Those, who are incapacitated to enjoy the Pleasures of Contemplation, by
their Griefs, may, very properly, apply to such Diversions, provided they
are innocent, as lay strong hold on the Attention; and those, whom Fear of
any future Calamity chains down to Misery, must endeavour to obviate the
Danger.
My Considerations shall, on this Occasion, be turned on such as are
burthensome to themselves merely because they want Subjects for
Reflection, and to whom the Volume of Nature is thrown open without
affording them Pleasure or Instruction, because they never learned to read
the Characters.
A French Author has advanced this seeming Paradox, that very few Men know
how to take a Walk; and, indeed, it is very true, that few Men know how
to take a Walk with a Prospect of any other Pleasure, than the same
Company would have afforded them in any other Circumstances.
There are Animals that borrow their Colour from the neighbouring Body,
and, consequently, vary their Hue as they happen to change their Place. In
like manner it ought to be the Endeavour of every Man to derive his
Reflexions from the Objects about him; for it is to no purpose that he
alters his Position, if his Attention continues fixt to the same Point.
The Mind should be kept open to the Access of every new Idea, and so far
disengaged from the Predominance of particular Thoughts, as to be able to
accommodate itself to emergent Occasions, and remark every Thing that
offers itself to present Examination.
A Man that has formed this Habit of turning every new Object to his
Entertainment, finds in the Productions of Nature an inexhaustible Stock
of Materials, upon which he can employ himself, without any Temptations to
Envy or Malevolence; Faults, perhaps, seldom totally avoided by those,
whose Judgment is much exercised upon the Works of Art. He has always a
certain Prospect of discovering new Reasons for adoring the Sovereign
Author of the Universe, and probable Hopes of making some Discovery of
Benefit to others, or of Profit to himself. There is no doubt but many
Vegetables and Animals have Qualities that might be of great Use; to the
Knowledge of which there is required no great Sagacity of Penetration, or
Fatigue of Study, but only frequent Experiments, and close Attention. What
is said by the Chymists of their darling Mercury, is, perhaps, true of
every Body through the whole Creation, that, if a thousand Lives should be
spent upon it, all its Properties would not be found out.
Mankind must necessarily be diversified by various Tastes, since Life
affords and requires such multiplicity of Employments; and a Nation of
Naturalists is neither to be hoped, or desired, but it is surely not
improper to point out a fresh Amusement to those who langush in Health,
and repine in Plenty, for want of some Source of Diversion that may be
less easily exhausted, and to inform the Multitudes of both Sexes, who are
burthened with every new Day, that there are many Shews which they have
not seen.
He that enlarges his Curiosity after the Works of Nature, demonstrably
multiplies the Inlets to Happiness, and, therefore, the younger Part of my
Readers, to whom I dedicate this vernal Speculation, must excuse me for
calling upon them to make use at once of the Spring of the Year, and the
Spring of Life; to acquire, while their Minds may be yet impressed with
new Images, a Love of innocent Pleasures, and an ardour for useful
Knowledge; and to remember, that a blighted Spring makes a barren Year,
and that the vernal Flowers, however beautiful and gay, are only intended
by Nature as Preparatives to Autumnal Fruits.
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