O art! thou distinguishing attribute and honour of humankind, who art not
only able to imitate nature in her graces, but even to adorn her with graces
of thine own. Possessed of thee the meanest genius grows deserving, and has
a just demand for a portion of our esteem; devoid of thee the brightest of
our kind, lie lost and useless, and are but poorly distinguished from the
most despicable and base. When we inhabited forests in common with brutes,
nor were otherwise known from them than by the figure of our species, thou
taughtest us to assert the sovereignty of our nature, and to assume that
empire for which Providence intended us!
The above is quoted in T.L. Mitchell, Three Expeditions into the Interior of
Eastern Australia (London, 1838), with the comment: This passage got by rote
as a lesson when at school, came into my mind this morning, on again
partaking of the comforts and luxury enjoyed by civilized men.
Can anybody please identify the source?
Brian Hillyard
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Dr Brian Hillyard
Head of Rare Books
National Library of Scotland
EDINBURGH EH1 1EW
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Fax: 0131 466 2807 *** Tel: 0131 226 4531
Website: http://www.nls.uk
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