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Article THURLOGH, THE MILESIAN. ← Page 15 of 17 →
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Thurlogh, The Milesian.
recent marriage of a near relation of the family—hut , really , in reference to the distinguished elevation which his own happy and enraptured self was expected soon to hold . Every syllable , as he proceeded , pressed upon him the allusion : his charmer ' s recognition confirmed him by her looks . At last , Emma herself thought fit to retire , and , on rising , imprinted , upon the forehead of her father , many grateful and balmy kisses , whilst her
eyes did , at the same time , unconsciously , convey to Henry the assurance that those favours were intended in spirit for himself . Oh ! the lustre of moral beauty ! the touching simplicity of nature and of truth ! The father and the lover were now left alone . There was a death-like
calm . For some time they deferred to each other with mutual expectation , until the lover , perceiving it was his duty to begin , determined on breaking silence . He opened—he was received ; he proceeded—he was encouraged . All was settled , and , as appeared , definitely adjusted ; until by some unlucky accident , a single and seemingly trivial expression escaped , at which the old gentleman's consequence suddenly took fire , when , disregarding all explanation and attempts at recovery , be had recourse to Ms usual mode of
speaking his mind by acts , and imposed an extinguisher upon one of the candles ! I now return to our hero . In the second chapter we have seen Thurlogh at home , surrounded by an affectionate and enlightened circle of friends , in want of nothing that comfort could require , and in a situation , too , that would seem congenial to his habitual prepossessions ; yet have we perceived him there a very prey to
woes that owed their existence to his fancy , or else transported to ecstaey by the ebullitions of an undefined enthusiasm . Now , however , we are to reverse the picture , and behold his character in a different light . We shall see the aerial rover , driven to the ground by the pressure of tbe incumbent storm , yield to the necessity of the overwhelming tempest ; yet , with the
elasticity of an osier , recover himself , and resume his wonted attitude , upon every returning gleam of sunshine . We shall see the inexperienced boy , who wooed misfortune under the guise of romance , grappling with its form when it appeared in reality , and evincing in the contest all the energies of manhood . But we shall also see—and would that I could exempt this ingredient from any share in the portrait!—the same exciting indulgence of visionary creations that had characterized his childhood , so ingrafted still in
his constitution as to mix itself up with his conduct in all the most important concerns of his life , giving its tinge and its fatality to his otherwise enviable career , and checkering with sadness an otherwise brilliant and successful course of enterprise . But how was he to begin ?"—That is still the question . The world was to him a wilderness ; the inhabitants thereof all beasts of prey ; the cruel and inhuman rapacity they had already exercised towards his father gave
him little reason to hope for any more favourable reception at their hands as an intruder than his ancestors had experienced as the claimants of undoubted privileges . Some plan , however , must be instantly embraced , and this was tlic one adopted .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Thurlogh, The Milesian.
recent marriage of a near relation of the family—hut , really , in reference to the distinguished elevation which his own happy and enraptured self was expected soon to hold . Every syllable , as he proceeded , pressed upon him the allusion : his charmer ' s recognition confirmed him by her looks . At last , Emma herself thought fit to retire , and , on rising , imprinted , upon the forehead of her father , many grateful and balmy kisses , whilst her
eyes did , at the same time , unconsciously , convey to Henry the assurance that those favours were intended in spirit for himself . Oh ! the lustre of moral beauty ! the touching simplicity of nature and of truth ! The father and the lover were now left alone . There was a death-like
calm . For some time they deferred to each other with mutual expectation , until the lover , perceiving it was his duty to begin , determined on breaking silence . He opened—he was received ; he proceeded—he was encouraged . All was settled , and , as appeared , definitely adjusted ; until by some unlucky accident , a single and seemingly trivial expression escaped , at which the old gentleman's consequence suddenly took fire , when , disregarding all explanation and attempts at recovery , be had recourse to Ms usual mode of
speaking his mind by acts , and imposed an extinguisher upon one of the candles ! I now return to our hero . In the second chapter we have seen Thurlogh at home , surrounded by an affectionate and enlightened circle of friends , in want of nothing that comfort could require , and in a situation , too , that would seem congenial to his habitual prepossessions ; yet have we perceived him there a very prey to
woes that owed their existence to his fancy , or else transported to ecstaey by the ebullitions of an undefined enthusiasm . Now , however , we are to reverse the picture , and behold his character in a different light . We shall see the aerial rover , driven to the ground by the pressure of tbe incumbent storm , yield to the necessity of the overwhelming tempest ; yet , with the
elasticity of an osier , recover himself , and resume his wonted attitude , upon every returning gleam of sunshine . We shall see the inexperienced boy , who wooed misfortune under the guise of romance , grappling with its form when it appeared in reality , and evincing in the contest all the energies of manhood . But we shall also see—and would that I could exempt this ingredient from any share in the portrait!—the same exciting indulgence of visionary creations that had characterized his childhood , so ingrafted still in
his constitution as to mix itself up with his conduct in all the most important concerns of his life , giving its tinge and its fatality to his otherwise enviable career , and checkering with sadness an otherwise brilliant and successful course of enterprise . But how was he to begin ?"—That is still the question . The world was to him a wilderness ; the inhabitants thereof all beasts of prey ; the cruel and inhuman rapacity they had already exercised towards his father gave
him little reason to hope for any more favourable reception at their hands as an intruder than his ancestors had experienced as the claimants of undoubted privileges . Some plan , however , must be instantly embraced , and this was tlic one adopted .