"It is unnecessary to mention any more of my poems; they had all



the same fate; and though in reality some of my latter pieces

deserved (I may now speak it without the imputation of vanity) a



better success, as I had the character of a bad writer, I found

it impossible ever to obtain the reputation of a good one. Had I



possessed the merit of Homer I could have hoped for no applause;

since it must have been a profound secret; for no one would now



read a syllable of my writings.

"The poets of my age were, as I believe you know, not very



famous. However, there was one of some credit at that time,

though I have the consolation to know his works are all perished



long ago. The malice, envy, and hatred I bore this man are

inconceivable to any but an author, and an unsuccessful one; I



never could bear to hear him well spoken of, and writ anonymous

satires against him, though I had received obligations from him;



indeed I believe it would have been an absoluteimpossibility for

him at any rate to have made me sincerely his friend.



"I have heard an observation which was made by some one of later

days, that there are no worse men than bad authors. A remark of



the same kind hath been made on ugly women, and the truth of both

stands on one and the same reason, viz., that they are both



tainted with that cursed and detestable vice of envy; which, as

it is the greatest torment to the mind it inhabits, so is it



capable of introducing into it a total corruption, and of

inspiring it to the commission of the most horrid crimes



imaginable.

"My life was but short; for I soon pined myself to death with the



vice I just now mentioned. Minos told me I was infinitely too

bad for Elysium; and as for the other place, the devil had sworn



he would never entertain a poet for Orpheus's sake: so I was

forced to return again to the place from whence I came."



CHAPTER XXV

Julian performs the parts of a knight and a dancing-master.



"I now mounted the stage in Sicily, and became a knight-templar;

but, as my adventures differ so little from those I have



recounted you in the character of a common soldier, I shall not

tire you with repetition. The soldier and the captain differ in



reality so little from one another, that it requires an accurate

judgment to distinguish them; the latter wears finer clothes, and



in times of success lives somewhat more delicately; but as to

everything else, they very nearly resemble one another.



"My next step was into France, where fortune assigned me the part

of a dancing-master. I was so expert in my profession" target="_blank" title="n.职业；声明；表白">profession that I was



brought to court in my youth, and had the heels of Philip de

Valois, who afterwards succeeded Charles the Fair, committed to



my direction.

"I do not remember that in any of the characters in which I



appeared on earth I ever assumed to myself a greater dignity, or

thought myself of more real importance, than now. I looked on



dancing as the greatest excellence of human nature, and on myself

as the greatest proficient in it. And, indeed, this seemed to be



the general opinion of the whole court; for I was the chief

instructor of the youth of both sexes, whose merit was almost



entirely defined by the advances they made in that science which

I had the honor to profess. As to myself, I was so fully



persuaded of this truth, that I not only slighted and despised

those who were ignorant of dancing, but I thought the highest



character I could give any man was that he made a graceful bow:

for want of which accomplishment I had a sovereigncontempt for



most persons of learning; nay, for some officers in the army, and

a few even of the courtiers themselves.



"Though so little of my youth had been thrown away in what they

call literature that I could hardly write and read, yet I



composed a treatise on education; the first rudiments of which,

• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)


• thither [´ðiðə] ad.到那里 a.那边的 (初中英语单词)


• retreat [ri´tri:t] v.&n.退却；撤退；放弃 (初中英语单词)


• treatment [´tri:tmənt] n.待遇；对待；治疗 (初中英语单词)


• retire [ri´taiə] v.撤退；退职；退休 (初中英语单词)


• venture [´ventʃə] n.投机 v.冒险；敢于 (初中英语单词)


• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)


• counsel [´kaunsəl] n.商议；劝告；律师 (初中英语单词)


• advantage [əd´vɑ:ntidʒ] n.优势；利益 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• utmost [´ʌtməust] a.最大的 n.极端 (初中英语单词)


• expedition [,ekspi´diʃən] n.远征；探险；迅速 (初中英语单词)


• universal [,ju:ni´və:səl] a.宇宙的；普遍的 (初中英语单词)


• remarkable [ri´mɑ:kəbl] a.值得注意的；显著的 (初中英语单词)


• riches [´ritʃiz] n.房地产；丰富 (初中英语单词)


• genius [´dʒi:niəs] n.天才(人物)；天赋 (初中英语单词)


• project [prə´dʒekt, ´prɔdʒekt] v.设计；投掷 n.计划 (初中英语单词)


• reward [ri´wɔ:d] n.&v.报答；报酬；奖赏 (初中英语单词)


• contain [kən´tein] v.包含；容纳；抑制 (初中英语单词)


• coldly [´kəuldli] ad.冷淡地 (初中英语单词)


• reading [´ri:diŋ] n.(阅)读；朗读；读物 (初中英语单词)


• accordingly [ə´kɔ:diŋli] ad.因此；从而；依照 (初中英语单词)


• impression [im´preʃən] n.印刷；印象；效果 (初中英语单词)


• observation [,ɔbzə´veiʃən] n.观测；注意；意义 (初中英语单词)


• confess [kən´fes] vt.供认；坦白；承认 (初中英语单词)


• vanity [´væniti] n.虚荣；自负；空虚 (初中英语单词)


• beggar [´begə] n.乞丐 (初中英语单词)


• sufficiently [sə´fiʃəntli] ad.充分地，足够地 (初中英语单词)


• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)


• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)


• submit [səb´mit] vt.使服从；使忍受 (初中英语单词)


• poetry [´pəuitri] n.诗；诗意 (初中英语单词)


• audience [´ɔ:diəns] n.听众；观众；接见 (初中英语单词)


• severe [si´viə] a.严厉的；苛刻的 (初中英语单词)


• mistress [´mistris] n.女主人；情妇；女能手 (初中英语单词)


• reality [ri´æliti] n.现实(性)；真实；逼真 (初中英语单词)


• writer [´raitə] n.作者；作家 (初中英语单词)


• obtain [əb´tein] v.获得；买到；得到承认 (初中英语单词)


• hatred [´heitrid] n.憎恨，敌意 (初中英语单词)


• spoken [´spəukən] speak的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• absolute [´æbsəlu:t] a.绝对的 n.绝对 (初中英语单词)


• entertain [,entə´tein] vt.招待；娱乐；使高兴 (初中英语单词)


• differ [´difə] vi.不同；有差别 (初中英语单词)


• distinguish [di´stiŋgwiʃ] v.区分；识别；立功 (初中英语单词)


• resemble [ri´zembəl] vt.类似，象 (初中英语单词)


• expert [´ekspə:t] n.&a.专家；内行 (初中英语单词)


• profession [prə´feʃən] n.职业；声明；表白 (初中英语单词)


• dignity [´digniti] n.尊严，尊贵；高官显贵 (初中英语单词)


• ignorant [´ignərənt] a.无知的，愚昧的 (初中英语单词)


• graceful [´greisfəl] a.优美的，流畅的 (初中英语单词)


• sovereign [´sɔvrin] a.至高无上的 n.君主 (初中英语单词)


• learning [´lə:niŋ] n.学习；学问；知识 (初中英语单词)


• literature [´litərətʃə] n.文学；文献；著作 (初中英语单词)


• reception [ri´sepʃən] n.接待；欢迎；招待会 (高中英语单词)


• expectation [,ekspek´teiʃən] n.期待(望)；预期 (高中英语单词)


• behavior [bi´heiviə] n.举止，行为 (高中英语单词)


• repose [ri´pəuz] v.&n.(使)休息；安息 (高中英语单词)


• remainder [ri´meində] n.剩余物；残余部分 (高中英语单词)


• contempt [kən´tempt] n.轻蔑；受辱；不顾 (高中英语单词)


• hearing [´hiəriŋ] n.听力；听证会；审讯 (高中英语单词)


• commend [kə´mend] vt.把…交托给；称赞 (高中英语单词)


• probability [,prɔbə´biliti] n.或有；可能性 (高中英语单词)


• esteem [i´sti:m] n.尊重 vt.认为；感到 (高中英语单词)


• profound [prə´faund] a.深奥的；渊博的 (高中英语单词)


• syllable [´siləbəl] n.音节；只言片语 (高中英语单词)


• malice [´mælis] n.恶意；怨恨；预谋 (高中英语单词)


• sincerely [sin´siəli] ad.真诚地；诚恳地 (高中英语单词)


• torment [´tɔ:ment] vt.(使)痛苦，折磨 (高中英语单词)


• commission [kə´miʃən] n.委任(状) vt.委任 (高中英语单词)


• horrid [´hɔrid] a.令人讨厌的；极糟的 (高中英语单词)


• knight [nait] n.骑士；爵士 (高中英语单词)


• repetition [,repi´tiʃən] n.重复；背诵；复制品 (高中英语单词)


• profess [prə´fes] v.声称；讲授 (高中英语单词)


• accomplishment [ə´kʌmpliʃmənt] n.完成；成就；才艺 (高中英语单词)


• contagious [kən´teidʒəs] a.传染性的，有感染力 (英语四级单词)


• disregard [,disri´gɑ:d] vt.&n.不顾；漠视 (英语四级单词)


• tedious [´ti:diəs] a.冗长的；乏味的 (英语四级单词)


• railing [´reiliŋ] n.栏杆 (英语四级单词)


• ridicule [´ridikju:l] vi.&n.嘲笑；奚落 (英语四级单词)


• sicily [´sisili] n.西西里(岛) (英语四级单词)


• composed [kəm´pəuzd] a.镇静自若的 (英语四级单词)


• delighted [di´laitid] a.高兴的；喜欢的 (英语四级单词)


• experienced [ik´spiəriənst] a.有经验的；熟练的 (英语四级单词)


• assertion [ə´sə:ʃən] n.断言；主张；论述 (英语四级单词)


• corresponding [,kɔri´spɔndiŋ] a.符合的；相当的 (英语四级单词)


• reputation [repju´teiʃən] n.名誉；名声；信誉 (英语四级单词)


• consolation [,kɔnsə´leiʃən] n.安慰，慰问 (英语四级单词)


• unsuccessful [,ʌnsək´sesful] a.不成功的，失败的 (英语四级单词)


• corruption [kə´rʌpʃən] n.腐化；贪污；贿赂 (英语四级单词)


• infinitely [´infinitli] ad.无限地；无穷地 (英语四级单词)


• whence [wens] ad.从何处；从那里 (英语四级单词)


• delicately [´delikitli] ad.精美地；微妙地 (英语四级单词)


• excellence [´eksələns] n.优秀；杰出；优点 (英语四级单词)


• treatise [´tri:tiz, -tis] n.(专题)论文 (英语四级单词)


• distemper [di´stempə] n.犬热病；色粉颜料 (英语六级单词)


• outrageous [aut´reidʒəs] a.横蛮的；残暴的 (英语六级单词)


• retired [ri´taiəd] a.退休的；通职的 (英语六级单词)


• applied [ə´plaid] a.实用的，应用的 (英语六级单词)


• dissatisfied [´dis,sætis´fækʃən] a.不满的；显出不满的 (英语六级单词)


• avarice [´ævəris] n.贪婪，贪心 (英语六级单词)


• commendation [,kɔmən´deiʃən] n.称赞，表扬；推荐 (英语六级单词)


• penance [´penəns] n.悔过；(赎罪的)苦行 (英语六级单词)


• effectually [i´fektjuəli] ad.有效地 (英语六级单词)


• impossibility [impɔsi´biliti] n.不可能办到的事 (英语六级单词)