Stultifera Navis or, The Modern Ship of Fools [by S. W. H. Ireland] |
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LXIII. | SECTION LXIII.
DESCRIPTION OF A WISE MAN. |
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Stultifera Navis | ||
SECTION LXIII. DESCRIPTION OF A WISE MAN.
Be such my motto and my fate.
Than prone to think before his mind he speaks;
Whose judgment is not founded on mere rules
Of college pedants, and your men of schools;
But well digested in his classic mind,
From active converse with all human kind.
As rather to be mute than cope with fool;
And at the call of reason's voice inspir'd:
Most cautious, how he grounds an argument,
And in pronouncing judgment diffident.
And in discerning, sees with his own eyes;
Who in bright virtue views the soul's best balm,
And feels that science keeps the passions calm;
Whose trust in Heav'n all thoughts of hate allays,
Learns him to pity those he cannot praise.
Whom none e'er found to do what was not good,
Whose judgment ne'er arraign'd the will of God,
And tho' thus pure, obedient kiss'd his rod;
Who neither hugg'd his life, nor wish'd to die,
His hope fix'd stedfast on eternity.
Produce that one who aims at being such;
And he, as rock unmov'd, 'mid tempests' roar,
Shall smile when fools and folly are no more;
View the great wreck of Stultifera Navis .
Happy would the annotator conceive himself, was he but enabled to adduce a single instance, wherein he might display to his readers, a Rara Avis like that described by the poet; but, unfortunately, neither the page of history, or his own converse with mankind, has yet empowered him to note down, in his vocabulary, a single instance of the kind; every individual, either from tradition, or, after his actual association with him, having proved in some measure impregnated with the mania of folly, not even to spare the sages of antiquity; who either lost their reason in the mazes of research, or had some latent spark of animal depravity attached to their lives. The conduct of Cincinnatus, perhaps, is as much characterized by wisdom as that of any famous individual recorded in the annals of history, since he displayed his love for content, Huomo contento à più rico del mondo; yet even the mode of action which he adopted, may be arraigned by sceptics on the score of selfishness, since it was his duty to dispense for the common good, the virtues which adorned his character, instead of retiring from the scene of action, to bury his glories in a turnip field.
Should any mortal feel so enamoured of the character above depicted, as to become desirous of realizing this Rara Avis in himself, I will lay down a rule of action, which, if pursued, cannot fail of producing the desired end:
Vivi come se tu havessi domani da morire, studia come se havessi da viver sempre.
O! let each new revolving day be pass'd,As if to-morrow was to be the last;
But in thy studies, as industrious be,
As if thy life were an eternity.
Stultifera Navis | ||