This eBook was produced by Pat Castevens
and David Widger
There is a beautiful and singular passage in Dante (which has notperhaps attracted the attention it deserves), wherein the sternFlorentine defends Fortune from the popular accusations against her.According to him she is an angelic power appointed by the Supreme Beingto direct and order the course of human splendors; she obeys the will ofGod; she is blessed; and hearing not those who blaspheme her, calm andaloft amongst the other angelic powers, revolves her spheral course andrejoices in her beatitude. (1)
This is a conception very different from the popular notion whichAristophanes, in his true instinct of things popular, expresses by thesullen lips of his Plutus. That deity accounts for his blindness bysaying that "when a boy he had indiscreetly promised to visit only thegood;" and Jupiter was so envious of the good that be blinded the poormoney-god. Whereon Chremylus asks him whether, "if he recovered hissight, he would frequent the company of the good." "Certainly," quothPlutus; "for I have not seen them ever so long." "Nor I either,"rejoins Chremylus, pithily, "for all I can see out of both eyes."
But that misanthropical answer of Chremylus is neither here nor there,and only diverts us from the real question, and that is, "WhetherFortune be a heavenly, Christian angel, or a blind, blundering, oldheathen deity?" For my part, I hold with Dante; for which, if I were sopleased, or if at this period of my memoirs I had half a dozen pages tospare, I could give many good reasons. One thing, however, is quiteclear, that whether Fortune be more like Plutus or an angel, it is nouse abusing her,—one may as well throw stones at a star. And I think,if one looked narrowly at her operations, one might perceive that shegives every man a chance at least once in his life if he take and makethe best of it, she will renew her visits; if not, itur ad astra! Andtherewith I am reminded of an incident quaintly narrated by Mariana inhis "History of Spain," how the army of the Spanish kings got out of asad hobble among the mountains at the Pass of Losa by the help of ashepherd who showed them the way. "But," saith Mariana,parenthetically, "some do say the shepherd was an angel; for after hehad shown the way, he was never seen more." That is, the angelic natureof the guide was proved by being only once seen, and after having gotthe army out of the hobble, leaving it to fight or run away, as it hadmost mind to. Now, I look upon that shepherd, or angel, as a very goodtype of my fortune at least. The apparition showed me my way in therocks to the great "Battle of Life;" after that—hold fast and strikehard!
Behold me in London with Uncle Roland. My poor parents naturally wishedto accompany me, and take the last glimpse of the adventurer on boardship; but I, knowing that the parting would seem less dreadful to themby the hearthstone, and while they could say, "He is with Roland; he isnot yet gone from the land," insisted on their staying behind; and thusthe farewell was spoken. But Roland, the old soldier, had so manypractical instructions to give, could so help me in the choice of theoutfit and the preparations for the voyage, that I could not refuse hiscompanionship to the last. Guy Bolding, who had gone to take leave ofhis father, was to join me in town, as well as my humbler Cumberlandcolleagues.
As my uncle and I were both of one mind upon the question of economy, wetook up our quarters at a lodging-house in the City; and there it was thatI first made acquaintance wit