thoughts on man-第21部分

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he　merit　of　a　work；　who　are　endowed　with　a　quick　sensibility　and　a　discriminating　taste；　and　are　able　to　pass　a　sound　judgment　on　its　beauties　and　defects。　　He　advances　his　claim　to　permanent　honours；　and　desires　that　his　lucubrations　should　be　considered　by　generations　yet　unborn。

A　person；　so　occupied；　and　with　such　aims；　must　not　attempt　to　pass　his　crudities　upon　the　public。　　If　I　may　parody　a　celebrated　aphorism　of　Quintilian；　I　would　say；　〃Magna　debetur　hominibus　reverentia＇8＇：〃　in　other　words；　we　should　carefully　examine　what　it　is　that　we　propose　to　deliver　in　a　permanent　form　to　the　taste　and　understanding　of　our　species。　　An　author　ought　only　to　commit　to　the　press　the　first　fruits　of　his　field；　his　best　and　choicest　thoughts。　　He　ought　not　to　take　up　the　pen；　till　he　has　brought　his　mind　into　a　fitting　tone；　and　ought　to　lay　it　down；　the　instant　his　intellect　becomes　in　any　degree　clouded；　and　his　vital　spirits　abate　of　their　elasticity。

＇8＇　Mankind　is　to　be　considered　with　reverence。


There　are　extraordinary　cases。　　A　man　may　have　so　thoroughly　prepared　himself　by　long　meditation　and　study；　he　may　have　his　mind　so　charged　with　an　abundance　of　thought；　that　it　may　employ　him　for　ten　or　twelve　hours　consecutively；　merely　to　put　down　or　to　unravel　the　conceptions　already　matured　in　his　soul。　　It　was　in　some　such　way；　that　Dryden；　we　are　told；　occupied　a　whole　night；　and　to　a　late　hour　in　the　next　morning；　in　penning　his　Alexander's　Feast。　　But　these　are　the　exceptions。　　In　most　instances　two　or　three　hours　are　as　much　as　an　author　can　spend　at　a　time　in　delivering　the　first　fruits　of　his　field；　his　choicest　thoughts；　before　his　intellect　becomes　in　some　degree　clouded；　and　his　vital　spirits　abate　of　their　elasticity。

Nor　is　this　all。　　He　might　go　on　perhaps　for　some　time　longer　with　a　reasonable　degree　of　clearness。　　But　the　fertility　which　ought　to　be　his　boast；　is　exhausted。　　He　no　longer　sports　in　the　meadows　of　thought；　or　revels　in　the　exuberance　of　imagination；　but　becomes　barren　and　unsatisfactory。　　Repose　is　necessary；　and　that　the　soil　should　be　refreshed　with　the　dews　of　another　evening；　the　sleep　of　a　night；　and　the　freshness　and　revivifying　influence　of　another　morning。

These　observations　lead；　by　a　natural　transition；　to　the　question　of　the　true　estimate　and　value　of　human　life；　considered　as　the　means　of　the　operations　of　intellect。

A　primary　enquiry　under　this　head　is　as　to　the　duration　of　life：　　Is　it　long；　or　short？

The　instant　this　question　is　proposed；　I　hear　myself　replied　to　from　all　quarters：　　What　is　there　so　well　known　as　the　brevity　of　human　life？　　〃Life　is　but　a　span。〃　　It　is　〃as　a　tale　that　is　told。〃　　〃Man　cometh　forth　like　a　flower；　and　is　cut　down：　　he　fleeth　also　as　a　shadow；　and　continueth　not。〃　　We　are　〃as　a　sleep；　or　as　grass：　　in　the　morning　it　flourisheth；　and　groweth　up；　in　the　evening　it　is　cut　down；　and　withereth。〃

The　foundation　of　this　sentiment　is　obvious。　　Men　do　not　live　for　ever。　　The　longest　duration　of　human　existence　has　an　end：　　and　whatever　it　is　of　which　that　may　be　affirmed；　may　in　some　sense　be　pronounced　to　be　short。　　The　estimation　of　our　existence　depends　upon　the　point　of　view　from　which　we　behold　it。　　Hope　is　one　of　our　greatest　enjoyments。　　Possession　is　something。　　But　the　past　is　as　nothing。　　Remorse　may　give　it　a　certain　solidity；　the　recollection　of　a　life　spent　in　acts　of　virtue　may　be　refreshing。　　But　fruition；　and　honours；　and　fame；　and　even　pain；　and　privations；　and　torment；　when　they　ere　departed；　are　but　like　a　feather；　we　regard　them　as　of　no　account。　　Taken　in　this　sense；　Dryden's　celebrated　verses　are　but　a　maniac's　rant：

　　　　　To…morrow；　do　thy　worst；　for　I　have　lived　to…day：　　　　　　　　　　Be　fair；　or　foul；　or　rain；　or　shine；　　　　　　The　joys　I　have　possessed；　in　spite　of　fate　are　mine。　　　　　　　　　Not　heaven　itself　upon　the　past　has　power；　　　　　　But　what　has　been　has　been；　and　I　have　had　my　hour。


But　this　way　of　removing　the　picture　of　human　life　to　a　certain　distance　from　us；　and　considering　those　things　which　were　once　in　a　high　degree　interesting　as　frivolous　and　unworthy　of　regard；　is　not　the　way　by　which　we　shall　arrive　at　a　true　and　just　estimation　of　life。　　Whatever　is　now　past；　and　is　of　little　value；　was　once　present：　　and　he　who　would　form　a　sound　judgment；　must　look　upon　every　part　of　our　lives　as　present　in　its　turn；　and　not　suffer　his　opinion　to　be　warped　by　the　consideration　of　the　nearness　or　remoteness　of　the　object　he　contemplates。

One　sentence；　which　has　grown　into　a　maxim　for　ever　repeated；　is　remarkable　for　the　grossest　fallacy：　　Ars　longa；　vita　brevis＇9＇。　　I　would　fain　know；　what　art；　compared　with　the　natural　duration　of　human　life　from　puberty　to　old　age；　is　long。

＇9＇　Art　is　long；　life　is　short。


If　it　is　intended　to　say；　that　no　one　man　can　be　expected　to　master　all　possible　arts；　or　all　arts　that　have　at　one　time　or　another　been　the　subject　of　human　industry；　this　indeed　is　true。　　But　the　cause　of　this　does　not　lie　in　the　limited　duration　of　human　life；　but　in　the　nature　of　the　faculties　of　the　mind。　　Human　understanding　and　human　industry　cannot　embrace　every　thing。　　When　we　take　hold　of　one　thing；　we　must　let　go　another。　　Science　and　art；　if　we　would　pursue　them　to　the　furthest　extent　of　which　we　are　capable；　must　be　pursued　without　interruption。　　It　would　therefore　be　more　to　the　purpose　to　say；　Man　cannot　be　for　ever　young。　　In　the　stream　of　human　existence；　different　things　have　their　appropriate　period。　　The　knowledge　of　languages　can　perhaps　be　most　effectually　acquired　in　the　season　of　nonage。

At　riper　years　one　man　devotes　himself　to　one　science　or　art；　and　another　man　to　another。　　This　man　is　a　mathematician；　a　second　studies　music；　a　third　painting。　　This　man　is　a　logician；　and　that　man　an　orator。　　The　same　person　cannot　be　expected　to　excel　in　the　abstruseness　of　metaphysical　science；　and　in　the　ravishing　effusions　of　poetical　genius。　　When　a　man；　who　has　arrived　at　great　excellence　in　one　department　of　art　or　science；　would　engage　himself　in　another；　he　will　be　apt　to　find　the　freshness　of　his　mind　gone；　and　his　faculties　no　longer　distinguished　by　the　same　degree　of　tenacity　and　vigour　that　they　formerly　displayed。　　It　is　with　the　organs　of　the　brain；　as　it　is　with　the　organs　of　speech；　in　the　latter　of　which　we　find　the　tender　fibres　of　the　child　easily　accommodating　themselves　to　the　minuter　inflections　and　variations　of　sound；　which　the　more　rigid　muscles　of　the　adult　will　for　the　most　part　attempt　in　vain。

If　again；　by　the　maxim；　Ars　longa；　vita　brevis；　it　is　intended　to　signify；　that　we　cannot　in　any　art　arrive　at　perfection；　that　in　reality　all　the　progress　we　can　make　is　insignificant；　and　that；　as　St。　Paul　says；　we　must　〃not　count　ourselves　to　have　already　attained；　but　that；　forgetting　the　things　that　are　behind；　it　becomes　us　to　press　forward　to　the　prize　of　our　calling；〃this　also　is　true。　　But　this　is　only　ascribable　to　the　limitation　of　our　faculties；　and　that　even　the　shadow　of　perfection　which　man　is　capable　to　reach；　can　only　be　attained　by　the　labour　of　successive　generations。　　The　cause　does　not　lie　in　the　shortness　of　human　life；　unless　we　would　include　in　its　protracted　duration　the　privilege　of　being　for　ever　young；　to　which　we　ought　perhaps　to　add；　that　our　activity　should　never　be　exhausted；　the　freshness　of　our　minds　never　abate；　and　our　faculties　for　ever　retain　the　same　degree　of　tenacity　and　vigour；　as　they　had　in　the　morning　of　life；　when　every　thing　was　new；　when　all　that　allured　or　delighted　us　was　seen　accompanied　with　charms　inexpressible；　and；　as　Dryden　expresses　it＇10＇；　〃the　first　sprightly　running〃　of　the　wine　of　life　afforded　a　zest　never　after　to　be　hoped　for。

＇10＇　Aurengzebe。


I　return　then　to　the　consideration　of　the　alleged　shortness　of　life。　　I　mentioned　in　the　beginning　of　this　Essay；　that　〃human　life　consists　of　years；　months　and　days；　each　day　containing　twenty…four　hours。〃　　But；　when　I　said　this；　I　by　no　means　carried　on　the　division　so　far　as　it　might　be　carried。　　It　has　been　calculated　that　the　human　mind　is　capable　of　being　impressed　with　three　hundred　and　twenty　sensations　in　a　second　of　time。＇11＇

＇11＇　See　Watson　on　Time；　Chapter　II。


〃How　infinitely　rapid　is　the　succession　of　thought！　　While　I　am　speaking；　perhaps　no　two　ideas　are　in　my　mind　at　the　same　time；　and　yet　with　what　facility　do　I　slide　from　one　to　another！　If　my　discourse　be　argumentative；　how　often　do　I　pass　in　review　the　topics　of　which　it　consists；　before　I　utter　them；　and；　even　while　I　am　speaking；　continue　the　review　at　intervals；　without　producing　any　pause　in　my　discourse！　　How　many　other　sensations　are　experienced　by　me　during　this　period；　without　so　much　as　interrupting；　that　is；　without　materially　diverting；　the　train　of　my　ideas！　　My　eye　successively　remarks　a　thousand　objects　that　present　themselves。　　My　mind　wanders　to　the　different　parts　of　my　body；　and　receives　a　sensation　from　the　chair　on　which　I　sit；　or　the　table　on　which　I　lean。　　It　reverts　to　a　variety　of　things　that　occurred　in　the　course　of　the　morning；　in　the　course　of　yesterday；　the　most　remote　from；　the　most　unconnected　with；　the　subject　that　might　seem　wholly　to　engross　me。　　I　see　the　wi