书城英文图书加拿大学生文学读本(第5册)
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第51章 READERS AND READING(2)

DEUTERONOMY VIII

All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do,that ye may live,and multiply,and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers.

And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness,to humble thee,and to prove thee,to know what was in thine heart,whether thou wouldest keep his commandments,or no.And he humbled thee,and suffered thee to hunger,and fed thee with manna,which thou knewest not,neither did thy fathers know;that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only,but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee,neither did thy foot swell,these forty years.Thou shalt also consider in thine heart,that,as a man chasteneth his son,so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God,to walk in his ways,and to fear him.

For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land,a land of brooks of water,of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills;a land of wheat,and barley,and vines,and fig trees,and pomegranates;a land of oil olive,and honey;a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness,thou shalt not lack any thing in it;aland whose stones are iron,and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.When thou hast eaten and art full,then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee.

Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God,in not keeping his commandments,and his judgments,and his statutes,which I command thee this day:lest when thou hast eaten and art full,and hast built goodly houses,and dwelt therein;and when thy herds and thy flocks multiply,and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied,and all that thou hast is multiplied;then thine heart be lifted up,and thou forget the Lord thy God,which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt,from the house of bondage;who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness,wherein were fiery serpents,and scorpions,and drought,where there was no water;who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;who fed thee in the wilderness with manna,which thy fathers knew not,that he might humble thee,and that he might prove thee,to do thee good at thy latter end;and thou say in thine heart,My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God:for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers,as it is this day.And it shall be,if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God,and walk after other gods,and serve them,and worship them,I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face,so shall ye perish;because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.

THE TRUE GENTLEMAN

It is almost a definition of a gentleman to say he is one who never inflicts pain.This description is both refined,and,as far as it goes,accurate.He is mainly occupied in merely removing the obstacles which hinder the free and unembarrassed action of those about him;and he concurs with their movements,rather than takes the initiative himself.His benefits may be considered as parallel to what are called comforts or conveniences in arrangements of a personal nature:like an easy chair or a good fire,which do their part in dispelling cold and fatigue,though nature provides means of rest and animal heat without them.The true gentleman in like manner carefully avoids whatever may cause a jar or a jolt in the minds of those with whom he is cast;all clashing of opinion,or collision of feeling,all restraint,or suspicion,or gloom,or resentment;his great concern being to make every one at their ease and at home.He has his eyes on all his company;he is tender towards the bashful,gentle towards the distant,and merciful towards the absurd;he can recollect to whom he is speaking;he guards against unseasonable allusions,or topics which may irritate;he is seldom prominent in conversation,and never wearisome.He makes light of favours while he does them,and seems to be receiving when he is conferring.He never speaks of himself except when compelled,never defends himself by a mere retort,he has no ears for slander or gossip,is scrupulous in imputing motives to those who interfere with him,and interprets everything for the best.He is never mean or little in his disputes,never takes unfair advantage,never mistakes personalities or sharp sayings for arguments,or insinuates evil which he dare not say out.From a longsighted prudence,he observes the maxim of the ancient sage,that we should ever conduct ourselves towards our enemy as if he were one day to be our friend.He has too much good sense to be affronted at insults,he is too well employed to remember injuries,and too indolent to bear malice.He is patient,forbearing,and resigned,on philosophical principles;he submits to pain,because it is inevitable,to bereavement because it is irreparable,and to death,because it is his destiny.If he engages in controversy of any kind,his disciplined intellect preserves him from the blundering discourtesy of better,perhaps,but less educated minds,who,like blunt weapons,tear and hack instead of cutting clean,who mistake the point in argument,waste their strength on trifles,misconceive their adversary,and leave the question more involved than they find it.He may be right or wrong in his opinion,but he is too clearheaded to be unjust;he is as simple as he is forcible,and as brief as he is decisive.Nowhere shall we find greater candour,consideration,indulgence;he throws himself into the minds of his opponents,he accounts for their mistakes.He knows the weakness of human reason as well as its strength,its province,and its limits.

John Henry Newman