COLLOQU1A ENTOMOLOGICA. 5 



Amb. I hope not — 



Excutitur pronusque magister 

 Volvitur in caput. 



Ent. English only, to-night. 



Erro. They '11 shake the captain by the collar, and then 

 give him a thump of the head. I see Chry — 



Ent. Very elegant, indeed ! 



Erro. — sis-cyanea has imitated my monstror. 



Amb. Yes, and aped Rusticus. 



Erro. What profanation ! 



Ven. No, no, it won't come to that. 



Amb. What! 



Ent. I agree with you about disregarding all attacks, aye, 

 even returning good for evil ; but we must persevere in well- 

 doing. Ambulator observes, we can't control the storm ; 

 what of that? does not the sun illumine that ocean whose 

 restless waves he has no power to allay ? 



Erro. — 



Like moonlight on a troubled sea, 

 Brightening the storm it cannot calm. 



Ent. And shall our Fire-fly refuse her ray to enlighten 

 a science whose votaries are at war? Never, never! Let 

 them oppose her ; let them speak evil of her ; let them go 

 about persuading others to mutiny, and desert her : heed them 

 not ; they shall not prevail against her, while her rays are the 

 rays of genius, her light the light of truth. 



Ven. I believe it ; people don't like to be told that they 

 ought to see the difference ; that there is a want of the merit 

 it promised at first, and so on. It is very difficult to mislead 

 those who really read ; they like to judge for themselves. 



Ent. And wherefore should they not? man is an inquiring 

 animal ; his mind, perchance, may wander, perchance may 

 waver, perchance may bend from its own weakness, may be 

 lured by interest, warped by pride, case-hardened by obsti- 

 nacy, blinded by ambition, — but these are the exceptions : 

 believe me, the mind of man naturally, instinctively, aye 

 unwittingly, turns towards the truth, as a sun-flower towards 

 the sun. 



Amb. I hope we shall find it so; indeed, I believe it; I 

 think too well of mankind to doubt it ; and we need not mind 

 about these little troubles, if we triumph at last. 



