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Article HAPPINESS: A FRAGMENT. ← Page 5 of 5 Article A PARABLE Page 1 of 1
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Happiness: A Fragment.
acids ; one is deli ghted with harmony , and another is fond of discord . The Pole does not consider fish in its perfection till it is almost rotten ; and even the polite Frenchman eats cheese , that by its odrftir seems to have been a sacrifice to Cloacina . Many people prefer the croaking of toads to the melodious notes of the ni ghtingale ; and a certain Scythian general found more amusement in the neighing of horses , than in the warlike music of
clarinets and trumpets . When a man meets with what gives him pleasure , he , in effect , meets with the summit of all good things : for it is the imagination alone that determines their value . An imaginary sick person is really out of order ; and , on the other hand , whilst we fancy we have obtained an advantage , this advantage certainly exists . When I see a man transported at the of title
acquisition a mere , 1 do not congratulate him with respect to the title , but upon the joy which he derives from it . Were a person to obtain a patent for the sole exclusive privilege of wearino- a chamber-pot instead of a hat , and this singular grant was by him ° to be considered as the hi ghest honour , which communicated to him unbounded felicity , I should doubtless , were he among the number of my friends , compliment him upon the occasion .
From what hath been said , it evidentl y appears that we should not condemn the opinions and dispositions of others , because they are not conformable to our own ; but that we should assist our nei ghbours in , the pursuit of their own inclinations , and urge them to follow their natural propensities . Our censures should be pointed only against those appetites that are criminal , and those amusements that the mind
corrupt , and enervate the bod y . In other respects it were far better for general tranquillity and universal happiness , that every individual uninterruptedl y pursued what gave him satisfaction . When Diogenes was contented with a tub for his mansion , he thought himself as commodiousl y lodged as Nebuchadnezzar in a superb palace . When a Lacedemonian finds as much relish in-a soup of black meat icius does in the
, as Ap greatest delicacies , it may be said that they are equally well regaled : for the difference does not consist in the eating , but in the taste of those who eat . Satisfaction confers equal wealth and equal happiness upon all men ; from this source alone we can have a true relish of mundane felicity ; without it riches are poverty , health disease , and every enjoyment of life is perverted into our greatest misery . Z . A .
A Parable
A PARABLE
ADDRESSED TO REPORT CATCHERS . TJPON the credit of a clerical sportsman , the following recipe was latel y given for catching wild-geese : — " Tie a cord to the tail ot an eel , and throw it into the fens where those fowls haunt ; one ot the geese swallowing this sli ppery bait , it runs through him , and is swallowed b y a second , and third , and so on , till the string is quite lilted . "—A person once caught so many geese in this manner , that tney absolutely flew away with him . ' . ' . ' V 9 L . VI . 3 D
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Happiness: A Fragment.
acids ; one is deli ghted with harmony , and another is fond of discord . The Pole does not consider fish in its perfection till it is almost rotten ; and even the polite Frenchman eats cheese , that by its odrftir seems to have been a sacrifice to Cloacina . Many people prefer the croaking of toads to the melodious notes of the ni ghtingale ; and a certain Scythian general found more amusement in the neighing of horses , than in the warlike music of
clarinets and trumpets . When a man meets with what gives him pleasure , he , in effect , meets with the summit of all good things : for it is the imagination alone that determines their value . An imaginary sick person is really out of order ; and , on the other hand , whilst we fancy we have obtained an advantage , this advantage certainly exists . When I see a man transported at the of title
acquisition a mere , 1 do not congratulate him with respect to the title , but upon the joy which he derives from it . Were a person to obtain a patent for the sole exclusive privilege of wearino- a chamber-pot instead of a hat , and this singular grant was by him ° to be considered as the hi ghest honour , which communicated to him unbounded felicity , I should doubtless , were he among the number of my friends , compliment him upon the occasion .
From what hath been said , it evidentl y appears that we should not condemn the opinions and dispositions of others , because they are not conformable to our own ; but that we should assist our nei ghbours in , the pursuit of their own inclinations , and urge them to follow their natural propensities . Our censures should be pointed only against those appetites that are criminal , and those amusements that the mind
corrupt , and enervate the bod y . In other respects it were far better for general tranquillity and universal happiness , that every individual uninterruptedl y pursued what gave him satisfaction . When Diogenes was contented with a tub for his mansion , he thought himself as commodiousl y lodged as Nebuchadnezzar in a superb palace . When a Lacedemonian finds as much relish in-a soup of black meat icius does in the
, as Ap greatest delicacies , it may be said that they are equally well regaled : for the difference does not consist in the eating , but in the taste of those who eat . Satisfaction confers equal wealth and equal happiness upon all men ; from this source alone we can have a true relish of mundane felicity ; without it riches are poverty , health disease , and every enjoyment of life is perverted into our greatest misery . Z . A .
A Parable
A PARABLE
ADDRESSED TO REPORT CATCHERS . TJPON the credit of a clerical sportsman , the following recipe was latel y given for catching wild-geese : — " Tie a cord to the tail ot an eel , and throw it into the fens where those fowls haunt ; one ot the geese swallowing this sli ppery bait , it runs through him , and is swallowed b y a second , and third , and so on , till the string is quite lilted . "—A person once caught so many geese in this manner , that tney absolutely flew away with him . ' . ' . ' V 9 L . VI . 3 D