“I am much obliged by the tailpiece to your letter of
to-day, though, to say the truth, it amounts to nothing more than calling me
(in very friendly terms) an idle and extravagant fellow, who is playing off the
artful trick of getting hold of the conveniences and pleasures of life without
performing any of its duties. This I relish the worse, as I am not sure that
there is not some degree of truth in it; but I am much surer, that to toil and
labour for the sake of labouring and toiling, is a much more foolish part; and
that it is the curse of God upon avarice, that he who has given himself up too
long to its dominion shall never be able to extricate himself from its chains.
Surely man is the most foolish of all animals, and civilised man the most
foolish of all men. Anticipation is his curse; and to prevent the contingency
of evil, he makes life itself only one continued evil. Health, wisdom, peace of
mind, conscience, are all sacrificed to the absurd purpose of heaping up, for
the use of life, more than life can employ, under the flimsy pretext of
providing for his children, till practice becomes habit, and we labour on till
we are obliged to take our de-
| LIFE OF WILLIAM ROSCOE. | 209 |
“I have much more to say to you on this subject, but this is not the place for it. I shall therefore leave you to your
‘Double double, Toil and trouble, Fire burn, and caldron bubble,’ |
