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Article THE SIGNS OE ENGLAND. ← Page 4 of 6 →
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The Signs Oe England.
Pie has had too many proofs of it . He was , at one time , disposed to disregard his claims , thinks he , in his own mind ; but , now , in justice to himself , and especially as it is such capital amusement , he does not see why he should not give in , and not so rigorously harden and fossilize his heart . Blandishments will succeed even with the
most iron natures . Bayard loved , doubtless ; and all the most perfect men of old . Our vain friend ' s scowls , in his retirement , have been altogether tremendous , at the ill-treatment , by fate , of him : and though he has , every morning , gone punctually to his Bank at nine o ' clock , and thrown off his cloak , behind his seat , regularly at
a few minutes after ten at Somerset House , or at some nameless office—the " Red Tape and Despatch Envelope , " perhaps—further west , yet he cannot forget that his soul is elsewhere , and that his untamed and daring spirit feels his fetters . He knows he is out of place . He reads characters so like him in novels , and out of history . He challengeth emancipation from that unintellectual drudgery . And
why should he ? you innocently ask . Why ? Because if her love is as burning and Etna-like as his own ( of which he cannot doubt , since he must be the object of it ) , he longs to throw himself and his fortunean ebony ruler , three Bristol diamond shirt-studs , and one hundred and fifty poundsj ^ r annum , less the income-tax—at the feet of that beauty , with expectations , who , spite of her attempts to conceal it , eould not resist an exhibition of her feelings as flattering ; to her own
judgment as assuasive to the now seven-years ' -full-blown self-opinion , of Gnstavus Greatrex , Esq . Oh , the infinite shades , the sinuosities of men ' s vanity , when displayed , as they only can be , at an evening or a dinner party ! These are the grand battle-grounds whereon are arrayed all your forces , ye believers in , your own pow ers of fascination ! Do you not imagine that we can see through all your little arts ? Do you really think that all women—whether sensible or silly ( for it really makes very
little difference in their sharp sight whether the ) 7 are very Cornelias of good sense or poor little humming-birds of simplicity ; indeed , we rather believe that the silly ones are the quickest-sighted of the two ) —do you , now , imagine that all women cannot take your measure , almost at a glance , and see how many yards of affectation , or of good solid stuff " , go to the making up of your character ? Women are not
the believing creatures that man , in . the condescension of his understanding , would deem . They know all about the battle of Thermopylae better , perhaps , than you do yourself , and can tell you who Cardinal Ximenes was—and this is a stretch of knowledge , in modern times of information .
Coxcombry is in full feather at all the reunions of the two sexesa natural , distinction which was all very w ell in . the good old times , but is now exploded . Men and women are now ladies and gentlemen . All ! Theophilus Tomnoddy , do yon think that I do not know how , as you ascended those stairs , your heart , if it did not heat , dilated , in the anticipation of that great terror of your powers , oratorical i \ rid personally pictorial , which was to accompany your
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Signs Oe England.
Pie has had too many proofs of it . He was , at one time , disposed to disregard his claims , thinks he , in his own mind ; but , now , in justice to himself , and especially as it is such capital amusement , he does not see why he should not give in , and not so rigorously harden and fossilize his heart . Blandishments will succeed even with the
most iron natures . Bayard loved , doubtless ; and all the most perfect men of old . Our vain friend ' s scowls , in his retirement , have been altogether tremendous , at the ill-treatment , by fate , of him : and though he has , every morning , gone punctually to his Bank at nine o ' clock , and thrown off his cloak , behind his seat , regularly at
a few minutes after ten at Somerset House , or at some nameless office—the " Red Tape and Despatch Envelope , " perhaps—further west , yet he cannot forget that his soul is elsewhere , and that his untamed and daring spirit feels his fetters . He knows he is out of place . He reads characters so like him in novels , and out of history . He challengeth emancipation from that unintellectual drudgery . And
why should he ? you innocently ask . Why ? Because if her love is as burning and Etna-like as his own ( of which he cannot doubt , since he must be the object of it ) , he longs to throw himself and his fortunean ebony ruler , three Bristol diamond shirt-studs , and one hundred and fifty poundsj ^ r annum , less the income-tax—at the feet of that beauty , with expectations , who , spite of her attempts to conceal it , eould not resist an exhibition of her feelings as flattering ; to her own
judgment as assuasive to the now seven-years ' -full-blown self-opinion , of Gnstavus Greatrex , Esq . Oh , the infinite shades , the sinuosities of men ' s vanity , when displayed , as they only can be , at an evening or a dinner party ! These are the grand battle-grounds whereon are arrayed all your forces , ye believers in , your own pow ers of fascination ! Do you not imagine that we can see through all your little arts ? Do you really think that all women—whether sensible or silly ( for it really makes very
little difference in their sharp sight whether the ) 7 are very Cornelias of good sense or poor little humming-birds of simplicity ; indeed , we rather believe that the silly ones are the quickest-sighted of the two ) —do you , now , imagine that all women cannot take your measure , almost at a glance , and see how many yards of affectation , or of good solid stuff " , go to the making up of your character ? Women are not
the believing creatures that man , in . the condescension of his understanding , would deem . They know all about the battle of Thermopylae better , perhaps , than you do yourself , and can tell you who Cardinal Ximenes was—and this is a stretch of knowledge , in modern times of information .
Coxcombry is in full feather at all the reunions of the two sexesa natural , distinction which was all very w ell in . the good old times , but is now exploded . Men and women are now ladies and gentlemen . All ! Theophilus Tomnoddy , do yon think that I do not know how , as you ascended those stairs , your heart , if it did not heat , dilated , in the anticipation of that great terror of your powers , oratorical i \ rid personally pictorial , which was to accompany your