- I sat yesterday
morning employed in deliberating on which,among the various subjects
that occurred to my imagination, I should bestow the paper of to-day.
After a a short effort of meditation by which nothing was determined,
I grew every moment more irresolute, my ideas wandered from the first
intention, and I rather wished to think, than thought, upon any settled
subject; till at last I was awakened from this dream of study by a
summons from the press: the time was come for which I had been thus
negligently purposing to provide, and, however dubious or sluggish,
I was now necessitated to write.
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-
- Though to a
writer whose design is so comprehensive and miscellaneous, that he
may accommodate himself with a topick from every scene of life, or
view of nature, it is no great aggravation of his task to be obliged
to a sudden composition, yet I could not forbear to reproach myself
for having so long neglected what was unavoidably to be done, and
of which every moment's idleness increased the difficulty. There was
however some pleasure in reflecting that I, who had only trifled till
diligence was necessary, might still congratulate myself upon my superiority
to multitudes, who have trifled till diligence is vain; who can by
no degree of activity or resolution recover the opportunities which
have slipped away; and who are condemned by their own carelessness
to hopeless calamity and barren sorrow.
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- The folly of
allowing ourselves to delay what we know cannot be finally escaped,
is one of the general weaknesses, which, in spite of the instruction
of moralists, and the remonstrances of reason, prevail to a greater
or less degree in every mind: even they who most steadily withstand
it, find it, if not the most violent, the most pertinacious of their
passions, always renewing its attacks, and though often vanquished,
never destroyed. It
is indeed natural to have particular regard to the time present, and
to be most solicitous for that which is by its nearness enabled to
make the strongest impressions. When therefore any sharp pain is to
be suffered, or any formidable danger to be incurred, we can scarcely
exempt ourselves wholly from the seducements of imagination; we
readily believe that another day will bring some support or advantage
which we now want; and are easily persuaded, that the moment of
necessity which we desire never to arrive, is at a great distance
from us.
- Thus life is
languished away in the gloom of anxiety, and consumed in collecting
resolution which the next morning dissipates; in forming purposes
which we scarcely hope to keep, and reconciling ourselves to our own
cowardice by excuses, which, while we admit them, we know to be absurd.
Our firmness is by the continual contemplation of misery hourly impaired;
every submission to our fear enlarges its dominion; we not only
waste that time in which the evil we dread might have been suffered
and surmounted, but even where procrastination produces no absolute
encrease of our difficulties, make them less superable to ourselves
by habitual terrors. When evils cannot be avoided, it is wise to contract
the interval of expectation; to meet the mischiefs which will
overtake us if we fly; and suffer only their real malignity without
the conflicts of doubt and anguish of anticipation.
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-
- To act is far
easier than to suffer, yet we every day see the progress of life retarded
by the vis inertial the mere repugnance to motion, and find multitudes
repining at the want of that which nothing but idleness hinders them
from enjoying. The case of Tantalus, in the region of poetick punishment,
was somewhat to be pitied, because the fruits that hung about him
retired from his hand; but what tenderness can be claimed by those
who though perhaps they suffer the pains of Tantalus will never lift
their hands for their own relief?
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- There
is nothing more common among this torpid generation than murmurs and
complaints; murmurs at uneasiness which only vacancy and suspicion
expose them to feel, and complaints of distresses which it is in their
own power to remove. Laziness is commonly associated with timidity.
Either fear originally prohibits endeavours by infusing despair of
success; or the frequent failure of irresolute struggles, and the
constant desire of avoiding labour, impress by degrees false terrors
on the mind. But fear, whether natural or acquired, when once it has
full possession of the fancy, never fails to employ it upon visions
of calamity, such as if they are not dissipated by useful employment,
will soon overcast it with horrors, and imbitter life not only with
those miseries by which all earthly beings are really more or less
tormented, but with those which do not yet exist, and which can only
be discerned by the perspicacity of cowardice.
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-
- Among all who
sacrifice future advantage to present inclination, scarcely any gain
so little as those that suffer themselves to freeze in idleness. Others
are corrupted by some enjoyment of more or less power to gratify the
passions; but to neglect our duties, merely to avoid the labour of
performing them, a labour which is always punctually rewarded, is
surely to sink under weak temptations. Idleness never can secure tranquility;
the call of reason and of conscience will pierce the closest pavilion
of the sluggard, and, though it may not have force to drive him from
his down, will be loud enough to hinder him from sleep. Those moments
which he cannot resolve to make useful by devoting them to the great
business of his being, will still be usurped by powers that will not
leave them to his disposal; remorse and vexation will seize upon them,
and forbid him to enjoy what he is so desirous to appropriate.
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- There are other
causes of inactivity incident to more active faculties and more acute
discernment. He to whom many objects of persuit arise at the same
time, will frequently hesitate between different desires, till a rival
has precluded him, or change his course as new attractions prevail,
and harass himself without advancing. He who sees different ways to
the same end, will, unless he watches carefully over his own conduct,
lay out too much of his attention upon the comparison of probabilities,
and the adjustment of expedients, and pause in the choice of his road,
till some accident intercepts his journey. He whose penetration extends
to remote consequences, and who, whenever he applies his attention
to any design, discovers new prospects of advantage, and possibilities
of improvement, will not easily be persuaded that his projects is
ripe for execution; but will superadd one contrivance to another,
endeavour to unite various purposes in one operation, multiply complications,
and refine niceties, till he is entangled in his own scheme, and bewildered
in the perplexity of various intentions. He that resolves to unite
all the beauties of situation in a new purchase, must waste his life
in roving to no purpose from province to province. He that hopes in
the same house to obtain every convenience, may draw plans and study
Palladio, but will never lay a stone. He will attempt a treatise on
some important subject, and amass materials, consult authors, and
study all the dependent and collateral parts of learning, buts never
conclude himself qualified to write. He that has abilities to conceive
perfection, will not easily be content without it; and since perfection
cannot be reached, will lose the opportunity of doing well in the
vain hope of unattainable excellence.
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- The certainty
that life cannot be long, and the probability that it will be much
shorter than nature allows, ought to awaken every man to the active
prosecution of whatever he is desirous to perform. It is true that
no diligence can ascertain success; death may intercept the swiftest
career; but he who is cut off in the execution of an honest undertaking,
has at least the honour of falling in his rank, and has fought the
battle, though he missed the victory.
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