FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   507   508   509   510   511   512   513   514   515   516   517   518   519   520   521   522   523   524   525   526   527   528   529   530   531  
532   533   534   535   536   537   538   539   540   541   542   543   544   545   546   547   548   549   550   551   552   553   554   555   556   >>   >|  
edo ch 'el reste di quel verno, cose Facesse degne di tener ne conto; Ma fur fin' a quel tempo si nascose, Che non a colpa mia s' hor 'non le conto Perche Orlando a far l'opre virtuose Piu ch'a narrar le poi sempre era pronto; Ne mai fu alcun' de'suoi fatti espresso, Se non quando ebbe i testimonii appresso." ["The rest of the winter, I believe, was spent in actions worthy of narration, but they were done so secretly that if I do not tell them I am not to blame, for Orlando was more bent to do great acts than to boast of them, so that no deeds of his were ever known but those that had witnesses."--Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, xi. 81.] A man must go to the war upon the account of duty, and expect the recompense that never fails brave and worthy actions, how private soever, or even virtuous thoughts-the satisfaction that a well-disposed conscience receives in itself in doing well. A man must be valiant for himself, and upon account of the advantage it is to him to have his courage seated in a firm and secure place against the assaults of fortune: "Virtus, repulsaa nescia sordidx Intaminatis fulget honoribus Nec sumit, aut ponit secures Arbitrio popularis aura." ["Virtue, repudiating all base repulse, shines in taintless honours, nor takes nor leaves dignity at the mere will of the vulgar."--Horace, Od., iii. 2, 17.] It is not for outward show that the soul is to play its part, but for ourselves within, where no eyes can pierce but our own; there she defends us from the fear of death, of pain, of shame itself: there she arms us against the loss of our children, friends, and fortunes: and when opportunity presents itself, she leads us on to the hazards of war: "Non emolumento aliquo, sed ipsius honestatis decore." ["Not for any profit, but for the honour of honesty itself." --Cicero, De Finib., i. 10.] This profit is of much greater advantage, and more worthy to be coveted and hoped for, than, honour and glory, which are no other than a favourable judgment given of us. A dozen men must be called out of a whole nation to judge about an acre of land; and the judgment of our inclinations and actions, the most difficult and most important matter that is, we refer to the
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   507   508   509   510   511   512   513   514   515   516   517   518   519   520   521   522   523   524   525   526   527   528   529   530   531  
532   533   534   535   536   537   538   539   540   541   542   543   544   545   546   547   548   549   550   551   552   553   554   555   556   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Orlando
 

worthy

 

actions

 
profit
 

account

 

advantage

 

honour

 

judgment

 
outward
 
Horace

inclinations

 
important
 

difficult

 
Virtue
 
repudiating
 

popularis

 

Arbitrio

 

secures

 

repulse

 

dignity


leaves

 
matter
 

shines

 

taintless

 
honours
 

vulgar

 
hazards
 

greater

 

coveted

 

opportunity


presents

 

decore

 

honestatis

 

Cicero

 

ipsius

 

emolumento

 

aliquo

 

called

 

defends

 

honesty


nation

 
favourable
 

friends

 

fortunes

 

children

 

pierce

 
valiant
 

espresso

 
sempre
 

pronto