The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne
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page 47 of 645 (07%)
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philosophy,--wise also in political reasoning,--and in polemical (as he
will find) no way ignorant,--could be capable of entertaining a notion in his head, so out of the common track,--that I fear the reader, when I come to mention it to him, if he is the least of a cholerick temper, will immediatly throw the book by; if mercurial, he will laugh most heartily at it;--and if he is of a grave and saturnine cast, he will, at first sight, absolutely condemn as fanciful and extravagant; and that was in respect to the choice and imposition of christian names, on which he thought a great deal more depended than what superficial minds were capable of conceiving. His opinion, in this matter, was, That there was a strange kind of magick bias, which good or bad names, as he called them, irresistibly impressed upon our characters and conduct. The hero of Cervantes argued not the point with more seriousness,--nor had he more faith,--or more to say on the powers of necromancy in dishonouring his deeds,--or on Dulcinea's name, in shedding lustre upon them, than my father had on those of Trismegistus or Archimedes, on the one hand--or of Nyky and Simkin on the other. How many Caesars and Pompeys, he would say, by mere inspiration of the names, have been rendered worthy of them? And how many, he would add, are there, who might have done exceeding well in the world, had not their characters and spirits been totally depressed and Nicodemus'd into nothing? I see plainly, Sir, by your looks, (or as the case happened) my father would say--that you do not heartily subscribe to this opinion of mine,-- which, to those, he would add, who have not carefully sifted it to the bottom,--I own has an air more of fancy than of solid reasoning in it;--and yet, my dear Sir, if I may presume to know your character, I am morally assured, I should hazard little in stating a case to you, not as a party in |
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