3

4

Education, that is, the having learned1 with difficulty to read and write a letter of four or five lines, makes? no distinction, being an attainment of which those of the highest rank are sometimes deficient. I presented to the Naze, a common-looking fellow, the Pasha's firman, which as usual he kissed and placed to his forehead. As soon as his Coptic writer had read it to him, he ordered me a pipe, an attention previously omitted, and in the meantime offered me his own, but my servant at that moment entered with mine. I had ordered it, because my not assuming my right in this trifling etiquette would have made me less respected, not only by the Naze and his court, but, what was of real consequence, by the Arabs who were to accompany me across the desert to9 Berber. Generally,10 I hate etiquette and ceremony as the north and north-east winds of society; but I have found from experience11 that with the Turks it is absolutely necessary to insist on their observance. Travellers, in their ignorance of Eastern manners, are generally too humble to them.12

HOSKINS, "Travels in Ethiopia."

ON THE CONDUCT OF THE UNDERSTANDING.13

Some men 14 may be disposed to ask, "Why con

1 That is, the having learned, qui consiste à avoir appris-2 makes, n'établit being an attainment, etc......deficient, comme c'est un mérite qui manque parfois aux gens du plus haut rang- a common-looking fellow, individu d'une tournure commune 5 he ordered me, il ordonna qu'on m'apportât-6 my not assuming my right, si je n'avais usé de mon droit would have made me less respected, j'aurais été moins respecté― who were to, qui devaient—9 to, jusqu'à—10 generally, en règle générale11 I have found from experience, l'expérience m'a démontré-12 to them, vis-à-vis d'eux.

13 Conduct of the understanding, direction de l'entendement (or: des facultés intellectuelles)-14 some men, certaines gens.

duct my understanding with such endless care? And what is the use of1 so much knowledge ?" What is the use of so much knowledge? What is the use of so much life? What are we to do with the seventy years of existence allotted to us? And how are we to live them out to the last? I solemnly declare that, but for the love of knowledge, I should consider the life of the meanest hedger and ditcher5 as preferable to that of the greatest and richest man here present for the fire of our minds is like the fire which the Persians burn in the mountains,-it flames night and day, and is immortal, and not to be quenched. Upon something it must act and feed," upon the pure spirit of knowledge, or upon the foul dregs of polluting passions. Therefore, when I say in conducting your understanding, love knowledge with 10 a great love, with a vehement love, with a love coeval with11 life; what do I say but 12 love innocence,-love virtue,-love purity of conduct,-love that which, if you are rich and great, will sanctify the blind fortune which has made you so,13 and make men call it justice,14-love that which, if you are poor, will render your poverty respectable, and make the proudest feel it unjust to laugh at 15 the meanness

1 What is the use of, à quoi sert 2 what are we to do with, que devons-nous faire de3 to live them out to, les épuiser jusqu'à—1 but for, sans-5 the meanest hedger and ditcher, le plus obscur terrassier6 and not to be quenched, et ne doit pas s'éteindre-7 upon something it must act and feed, il lui faut absolument un objet et un aliment-8 upon the pure spirit, il lui faut l'esprit pur-9 or upon the foul dregs of polluting passions, ou la lie empoisonnée des passions corruptrices10 with, de-11 coeval with, aussi durable que-12 what do I say but, qu'est-ce à dire sinon 13 so, tels--' and make men call it justice, et lui conciliera aux yeux des hommes un caractère de justice-15 and make the proudest feel it unjust to laugh at, et fera sentir aux plus fiers l'injustice de se moquer de.

of your fortunes,-love that which will comfort you, adorn you,' and never quit you,—which will open to you the kingdom of thought, and all the boundless regions of conception, as an asylum against the cruelty, the injustice, and the pain that may be your lot in the outer world,--that which will make your motives habitually? great and honourable, and light up in an instant a thousand noble disdains at the very thought of meanness and of fraud! Therefore if any young man here1 have embarked his life in pursuit of knowledge, let him go on without doubting or fearing the event; let him not be intimidated by the cheerless beginnings of knowledge, by the darkness from which she springs,8 by the difficulties which hover around her, by the wretched habitations in which she dwells, by the want and sorrow which sometimes journey in her train; but let him ever follow her as the Angel that guards him, and as the Genius of his life. She will bring him out at last 10 into the light of day, and exhibit him to the world comprehensive in acquirements, fertile in resources, rich in imagination, strong in reasoning, prudent and powerful above his fellows, in all the relations and in all the offices of life.

66

SYDNEY SMITH,

Elementary Sketches of Moral Philosophy."

That which will comfort you, adorn you, ce qui sera pour vous une source de bien-être et un ornement-2 which will make your motives habitually, qui donnera à vos actions habituelles des mobiles-3 the very thought of meanness, la seule pensée de la bassesse here, ici présent 5 have embarked his life in pursuit, s'est embarqué dans la vie à la poursuite-6 let him go on, qu'il persévère-7 without doubting or fearing the event, sans défiance et sans crainte quant au résultat 8 by the darkness from which she springs, par les ténèbres qui enveloppent sa source-9 which sometimes journey in her train, qui cheminent parfois à sa suite-10 she will bring him out at last, elle finira par l'amener.

TOPSY-AND HER EDUCATION.

Miss Ophelia instituted regular hours and employments for her, and undertook to teach her to read and sew.

In the former art the child was quick enough:1 she learned her letters as if by magic, and was very soon able to read plain reading;3 but the sewing was a more difficult matter. The creature was as lithe as a cat, and as active as a monkey, and the confinement was her abomination;5 so she broke her needles, threw them slily out of windows, or down in chinks of the walls; she tangled, broke, or dirtied her thread, or with a sly movement would throw a reel away altogether. Her motions were almost as quick as those of a practised conjurer, and her command of her face quite as great; and though Miss Ophelia could not help feeling that so many accidents could not possibly happen in succession, yet she could not, without a watchfulness which would leave her no time for anything else, detect her.

9

Topsy was soon a noted character 10 in the establishment. Her talent for every species of drollery, grimace, and mimicry-for dancing, tumbling, climbing, singing, whistling, imitating every sound that

1 In the former art the child was quick enough, dans le premier de ces arts notre gamine fit des progrès assez rapides (or: fut loin d'être sotte)-2 as if by, comme par-3 was very soon able to read plain reading, fut bientôt en état de lire des livres faciles-4 was a more difficult matter, fut une tout autre affaire-5 the confinement was her abomination, elle ne détestait rien tant que d'être renfermée-6 out of, par les or down in, ou bien dans- or with......would throw a reel away altogether, ou elle en jetait par......tout une bobine à la fois-9 and her command of her face quite as great, et elle était tout aussi maîtresse de son visage-10 was soon a noted character, se fit bientôt une réputation.

-7

hit her fancy-seemed inexhaustible. In her play hours she invariably had every child in the establishment at her heels, open-mouthed with3 admiration and wonder - not excepting Miss Eva, who appeared to be fascinated by her wild diablerie, as a dove is sometimes charmed by a glittering serpent. .

Topsy was smart and energetic in all manual operations, learning everything that was taught her with surprising quickness. With a few lessons5 she had learned the proprieties of Miss Ophelia's chamber, in a way with which even that particular lady could find no fault. Mortal hands could not lay counterpane smoother, adjust pillows more accurately, sweep and dust and arrange more perfectly, than Topsy, when she choses-but she didn't very often choose. If Miss Ophelia, after three or four days of careful and patient supervision, was so sanguine as to suppose that Topsy had at last fallen into her ways 10 and could do without overlooking," and so go off and busy herself about something else, Topsy would hold a perfect carnival of confusion for some one or two hours.12 Instead of making the bed, she would amuse herself with pulling off the pillow-cases, 13 butting her woolly head1 among the pillows, till it would some

1 That hit her fancy, qui lui passaient par la tête-2 every child in, toutes les petites filles de-3 open-mouthed with, ébahies de not excepting, sans en excepter-5 with a few lessons, en quelques leçons 6 in a way with which, d'une manière telle que could find no fault, ne pouvait y trouver à redire-8 chose, voulait 9 was so sanguine as to suppose, se laissait aller à supposer-10 had at last fallen into her ways, avait fini par se conformer à ses vues-11 and could do without overlooking, et n'avait plus besoin d'être surveillée-12 T. would hold a perfect carnival of confusion for some one or two hours, T. s'en donnait à cœur joie pendant une heure ou deux de carnaval 13 with pulling off the pillow-cases, à ôter les taies d'oreiller-14 butting her woolly head, et à fourrer sa tête laineuse.