278 NOSMET IPSI — ENJOYING A BREEZE. 



creature of the sea has safety and pleasure. Tolerate, 

 then, the check which wisdom prescribes, foras- 

 much as you are certain her reward will follow ; and 

 draw your lessons from whatever opens, whether it 

 be from the book of Nature or of Art : for he that 

 is wisely copious in his draught will have this advan- 

 tage — he can boast the most extensive hbrary. He 

 will have this earher pleasure, the certainty of knowing 

 that his course is the course dictated by Wisdom 

 and illumined by Virtue — and the sure road to true 

 honour and unfading happiness.' Thus might reason 

 Plato,'' said my cheerful friend — with much em- 

 phasis on the auxiliary verb — " or rather," continued 

 he, " thus do I momlize ! " 



"Yes," I replied, ^^ Plato thou reasonest well,'' 

 In such manner passed on ourselves and our agreeable 

 time, with frequent homeward stoppings — sometimes 

 suddenly to let a beetle pass — for the path would 

 not admit two a-breast ; and so much were " we 

 ourselves'* amused with our philosophy, that the 

 Batten received^ our steps almost before we were 

 fully conscious. To render the now short course a 

 little shorter by preserving unbroken the chain of 

 pleasure, I iiiniinated for thought — and it sti-uck me, 

 if my friend's admonition had been spoken by Plato, 

 what term the sage would have applied for Break- 

 water, I embodied this thought in a question. 



" The word was not used by me," said my friend, 

 " I used the term sea-ioall ; but it is for you to say, 

 which is the more Attic — more classical: although, 

 had I used Breakwater — Greek copiousness and com- 

 pounds might have ably borne out the ' broad-should- 

 ered Athenian.' "^ 



" Likely enough," said I, "and had he taken for 

 the subject of one of his early poems an object which 

 now meets my view, and the onli/ one remaining of 

 several which gave presageful interest to the old 



* "His original name was J m/or/f.v, and he received that of 

 Plato from the broadness of his shoulders." 



