PLEASURE OF YOUTH. 55 



we should turn our wisdom into folly, by refusing to 

 learn a little happiness. Grant that age and gravity 

 are as wise as you will, the palm of happiness must 

 be awarded to early youth, to those sportive days 

 and nights of sound repose, before the business of 

 the world has come upon us, and absorbed all our 

 attention. Now, as the aim and object of all that 

 we do is happiness, why should not we make the 

 happiness of our youth a store through life, and an 

 increasing store, as well as our knowledge ? Our 

 bodily activity and pleasure have their periods : they 

 wax and they wane, just as is the case with matter 

 and all the qualities of matter ; but happiness, like 

 knowledge, is in the mind, and they should strike 

 hands like twin-brothers at our birth, and never quit 

 us, or gain upon each other, till they bring us to 

 those regions in which both shall be in maturity, and 

 our bliss perfect. 



In our business or profession, we cannot carry the 

 child with us through life. Life is a succession of 

 inferences, the fruits of experience ; and in it we 

 must have the wisdom of age to give counsel, and 

 the vigour of manhood to carry that counsel into 

 execution. But still, while we counsel with all our 

 wisdom, and execute with all our might, we are like 

 Antaeus wrestling; and if we come not down and 

 touch the earth, we shall be, as Antaeus was when 

 prevented from that, overcome and vanquished. So 

 that, even in order to work properly and pleasantly 

 as men, we should continue to play like children ; 

 and if our play-hours be shorter and farther between, 

 they will be sweeter, because they will always have 

 the freshness of novelty. 



The value of things never strikes us so forcibly 

 as when we are deprived of them ; and if we were 

 to think how sad an inroad would be made upon our 

 happiness were we deprived of only a small portion 

 of nature, or of one of those senses which were 

 given to us for the purpose of knowing it, we would 



