| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Bickerstaff-Partridge Papers by Jonathan Swift: cavaliers; princes and nobles appear in night-rails and
petticoats; men shall squeak upon theatres with female voices,
and women corrupt virgins; lords shall knot and cut paper; and
even the northern people.........:" A Greek phrase (which for
modesty's sake I forbear to translate) which denotes a vice too
frequent amongst us.
That the Ministry foresaw this great change, is plain from the
Callico-Act; whereby it is now become the occupation of women all
over England, to convert their useless female habits into beds,
window-curtains, chairs, and joint-stools; undressing themselves
(as it were) before their transformation.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Maitre Cornelius by Honore de Balzac: pretending to be slightly angry, "that you neglect me? It is almost
three years since I have seen you. Come, come here, my pretty," he
added, sitting down and holding out his arms to her. "How thin you
have grown! Why have you let her grow so thin?" said the king,
roughly, addressing the Comte de Poitiers.
The jealous husband cast so frightened a look at his wife that she
almost pitied him.
"Happiness, sire!" he stammered.
"Ah! you love each other too much,--is that it?" said the king,
holding his daughter between his knees. "I did right to call you Mary-
full-of-grace. Coyctier, leave us! Now, then, what do you want of me?"
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Modeste Mignon by Honore de Balzac: Ascalon, ambulances not being then invented.
The chateau of Canalis (the domain yields a few chestnuts)
consists of two dismantled towers, united by a piece of wall
covered by a fine ivy, and is taxed at twenty-two francs.
The undersigned (publisher) calls attention to the fact that he
pays ten thousand francs for every volume of poetry written by
Monsieur de Canalis, who does not give his shells, or his nuts
either, for nothing.
The chanticler of the Correze lives in the rue de Paradis-
Poissoniere, number 29, which is a highly suitable location for a
poet of the angelic school. Letters must be POST-PAID.
Modeste Mignon |
