S.; this 20th day of
September Anno Domini 1789; by him to be kept secret until the
revolution of one hundred years complete, or until the 20th day of
September 1889: the same compiled and written by me,
EPHRAIM MACKELLAR,
For near forty years Land Steward on the
estates of His Lordship.
As Mr. Thomson is a married man, I will not say what hour had
struck when we laid down the last of the following pages; but I
will give a few words of what ensued.
'Here,' said Mr. Thomson, 'is a novel ready to your hand: all you
have to do is to work up the scenery, develop the characters, and
improve the style.'
'My dear fellow,' said I, 'they are just the three things that I
would rather die than set my hand to. It shall be published as it
stands.'
'But it's so bald,' objected Mr. Thomson.
'I believe there is nothing so noble as baldness,' replied I, 'and
I am sure there is nothing so interesting. I would have all
literature bald, and all authors (if you like) but one.'
'Well, well,' said Mr. Thomson, 'we shall see.'
Footnotes:
{1} First published in the Contemporary Review, April 1885
{2} Milton.
{3} Milton.
{4} Milton.
{5} As PVF will continue to haunt us through our English examples,
take, by way of comparison, this Latin verse, of which it forms a
chief adornment, and do not hold me answerable for the all too
Roman freedom of the sense: 'Hanc volo, quae facilis, quae
palliolata vagatur.
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