Τὸν δ᾿ ἀπαμειβόμενος.
_O felice colui, che intender puote
Le cagion de le cose di natura,
Che al piu di que' che vivon sono ignote;
E sotto it piè si mette ogni paura
De fati, e de la morte, ch'è si trista,
Ne di vulgo gli cal, nè d'altro ha cura._
TANSILLO.
The elder Daniel had listened to this dialogue in his usual quiet way,
smiling sometimes at his brother William's observations. He now
stroked his forehead, and looking mildly but seriously at the boy
addressed him thus.
“My son, many things appear strange or silly in themselves if they are
presented to us simply, without any notice when and where they were
done, and upon what occasion. If any strangers for example had seen
thee washing thy hands in an empty basin, without knowing the
philosophy of the matter, they would have taken thee for an innocent,
and thy master and me for little better; or they might have supposed
some conjuring was going on. The things which the old Philosophers
said and did, would appear, I dare say, as wise to us as they did to
the people of their own times, if we knew why and in what
circumstances they were done and said.
“Daniel, there are two sorts of men in all ranks and ways of life, the
wise and the foolish; and there are a great many degrees between them.
That some foolish people have called themselves Philosophers, and some
wicked ones, and some who were out of their wits, is just as certain
as that persons of all these descriptions are to be found among all
conditions of men.
“Philosophy, Daniel, is of two kinds: that which relates to conduct,
and that which relates to knowledge. The first teaches us to value all
things at their real worth, to be contented with little, modest in
prosperity, patient in trouble, equal-minded at all times. It teaches
us our duty to our neighbour and ourselves. It is that wisdom of which
King Solomon speaks in our rhyme-book. Reach me the volume!” Then
turning to the passage in his favourite Du Bartas he read these lines:
“She's God's own mirror; she's a light whose glance
Springs from the lightening of his countenance.
She's mildest heaven's most sacred influence;
Never decays her beauties' excellence,
Aye like herself; and she doth always trace
Not only the same path but the same pace.
Without her honor, health and wealth would prove
Three poisons to me. Wisdom from above
Is the only moderatrix, spring and guide
Organ and honor of all gifts beside.”
“But let us look in the Bible:—aye this is the place.
“For in her is an understanding spirit, holy, one only, manifold,
subtil, lively, clear, undefiled, plain, not subject to hurt, loving
the thing that is good, quick, which cannot be letted, ready to do
good;
“Kind to man, steadfast, sure, free from care, having all power,
overseeing all things, and going through all understanding, pure and
most subtil spirits.
“For wisdom is more moving than any motion: she passeth and goeth
through all things by reason of her pureness.
“For she is the breath of the power of God, and a pure influence,
flowing from the glory of the Almighty; therefore can no defiled thing
fall into her.
“For she is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted
mirror of the power of God, and the image of his goodness.
“And being but one she can do all things; and remaining in herself she
maketh all things new: and in all ages entering into holy souls she
maketh them friends of God, and prophets.
“For God loveth none but him that dwelleth with wisdom.
“For she is more beautiful than the Sun, and above all the order of
Stars: being compared with the light she is found before it.
“For after this cometh night: but vice shall not prevail against
wisdom.”
He read this with a solemnity that gave weight to every word. Then
closing the book, after a short pause, he proceeded in a lower tone.
“The Philosophers of whom you have read in the Dictionary possessed
this wisdom only in part, because they were heathens, and therefore
could see no farther than the light of mere reason sufficed to shew
the way. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and they had
not that to begin with. So the thoughts which ought to have made them
humble produced pride, and so far their wisdom proved but folly. The
humblest Christian who learns his duty, and performs it as well as he
can, is wiser than they. He does nothing to be seen of men; and that
was their motive for most of their actions.
“Now for the philosophy which relates to knowledge. Knowledge is a
brave thing. I am a plain, ignorant, untaught man, and know my
ignorance. But it is a brave thing when we look around us in this
wonderful world to understand something of what we see: to know
something of the earth on which we move, the air which we breathe, and
the elements whereof we are made: to comprehend the motions of the
moon and stars, and measure the distances between them, and compute
times and seasons: to observe the laws which sustain the universe by
keeping all things in their courses: to search into the mysteries of
nature, and discover the hidden virtue of plants and stones, and read
the signs and tokens which are shown us, and make out the meaning of
hidden things, and apply all this to the benefit of our fellow
creatures.
“Wisdom and knowledge, Daniel, make the difference between man and
man, and that between man and beast is hardly greater.
“These things do not always go together. There may be wisdom without
knowledge, and there may be knowledge without wisdom. A man without
knowledge, if he walk humbly with his God, and live in charity with
his neighbours, may be wise unto salvation. A man without wisdom may
not find his knowledge avail him quite so well. But it is he who
possesses both that is the true Philosopher. The more he knows, the
more he is desirous of knowing; and yet the farther he advances in
knowledge the better he understands how little he can attain, and the
more deeply he feels that God alone can satisfy the infinite desires
of an immortal soul. To understand this is the height and perfection
of philosophy.”
Then opening the Bible which lay before him, he read these verses from
the Proverbs.
“My son, if thou wilt receive my words,—
“So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom and apply thine heart to
understanding;
“Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for
understanding;
“If thou seekest after her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid
treasures;
“Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the
knowledge of God.
“For the Lord giveth wisdom; out of His mouth cometh knowledge and
understanding.
“He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous; He is a buckler to them
that walk uprightly.
“He keepeth the paths of judgement and preserveth the way of his
Saints.
“Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgement and equity;
yea, every good path.
“When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto
thy soul;
“Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee,
“To deliver thee from the way of the evil.
“Daniel, my son,” after a pause he pursued, “thou art a diligent good
lad. God hath given thee a tender and a dutiful heart; keep it so, and
it will be a wise one, for thou hast the beginning of wisdom. I wish
thee to pursue knowledge, because in pursuing it happiness will be
found by the way. If I have said any thing now which is above thy
years, it will come to mind in after time, when I am gone perhaps, but
when thou mayest profit by it. God bless thee, my child!”
He stretched out his right hand at these words, and laid it gently
upon the boy's head. What he said was not forgotten, and throughout
life the son never thought of that blessing without feeling that it
had taken effect.