13. To Thee, whose temple is all space, All nature's incense rise! ALEXANDER POPE. ONE 119. AN INTERVIEW WITH A MALAY. NE day a Malay' knocked at my door. What business a Malay could have to transact among English mountains, I can not conjecture; but possibly he was on his road to a seaport, about forty miles distant. The servant who opened the door to him was a young girl, born and bred among the mountains, who had never seen an Asiatic' dress of any sort his turban, therefore, confounded her not a little; and, as it turned out that his attainments in English were exactly of the same extent as hers in the Malay, there seemed to be an impassable gulf fixed between all communication of ideas, if either party had happened to possess any. 2. In this dilemma,* the girl recollecting the reputed learning of her master (and, doubtless, giving me credit for a knowledge of all the languages of the earth, besides, perhaps, a few of the lunar ones), came and gave me to understand that there was a sort of demon below, whom she clearly imagined that my art could exorcise from the house. I did not immediately go down; but when I did, the group which presented itself, arranged as it was by accident, though not very elaborate,' took hold of my fancy and my eye in a way that none of the statuesque attitudes exhibited in the ballets at the opera-house,10 though so ostentatiously" complex," had ever done. 1 Ma lay', a native of Malacca or Malaya.- Asiatic (å she åt' ik), relating to Asia.- Turban (ter' ban), a head-dress worn in the East.'Di lêm' ma, perplexing condition; a difficult or doubtful choice.Lunar, belonging to the moon.-- Ex' or cise, to expel, as evil spirits; to fee from evil influences, by calling on some holy name.-' E låb' orate, made with great labor and care. Statuesque (ståt yu &sk'), resem bling statues. Bål lets, dances of a particular kind, accompanied with gestures. Op' e ra-house, a house in which operas, or musical dramas, are given." Ostentatiously (os ten ta' shus ly), with vain display.-12 Côm' plex composed of many parts. 10 8 3. In a cottage-kitchen, but paneled on the wall with dark wood, that from age and rubbing resembled oak, and looking more like a rustic hall of entrance than a kitchen, stood the Malay' his turban and loose trowsers of dingy white relieved upon the dark paneling: he had placed himself nearer to the girl than she seemed to relish, though her native spirit of mountain intrepidity contended with the feelings of simple awe which her countenance expressed as she gazed upon the tigercat before her. 4. And a more striking picture there could not be imagined, than the beautiful English face of the girl, and its ex'quisite fairness, together with her erect and independent attitude, contrasted with the sallow3 and bilious skin of the Malay', enameled or veneered with mahogany by marine air; his small, fierce, restless eyes, thin lips, slavish gestures and adorations. Half hidden by the ferocious-looking Malay was a little child from a neighboring cottage, who had crept in after him, and was now in the act of reverting its head and gazing upward at the turban and the fiery eyes beneath it, while with one hand he caught at the dress of the young woman for protection. 5. My knowledge of the Oriental' tongues is not remarkably extensive, being, indeed, confined to two words-the Arabic word for barley, and the Turkish for opium, which I have learned from Anastasius. And as I had neither a Malay' dictionary, nor even Adelung's Mithridates, which might have helped me to a few words, I addressed him in some lines from the Iliad,' considering that, of such languages as I possessed, Greek, in point of longitude, came geographically nearest to an Oriental one. He worshiped me in a most devout manner, and replied in what I suppose was Malay. In this way I saved my reputation with my neighbors, for the Malay had no means of betray 1 Pån' el ing, panel-work; squares, or pieces of any kind placed between other bodies.--2 In tre pid' i ty, fearlessness.--3 Sål' low, a pale, sickly, yellowish color.- Bilious (bil' yus), affected with bile, causing a dark hue through the skin.- O ri ênt' al, eastern.- O' pi um, an intoxicating drug obtained from the juice of the poppy. It is principally used to lessen pain; but the Turks, Chinese, and other Eastern nations indulge in its use for its intoxicating effects. Il' i ad, the Greek poem of Homer, which gives the history of the Trojan war. ing the secret. He lay down upon the floor for about an hour, and then pursued his journey. 6. On his departure, I presented him with a piece of opium. To him, as an Orientalist, I concluded that opium must be familiar; and the expression of his face convinced me that it was. Nevertheless, I was struck with some little consternation when I saw him suddenly raise his hand to his mouth, and (in the school-boy phrase) bolt the whole, divided into three pieces, at one mouthful. The quantity was enough to kill three dragoons and their horses, and I felt some alarm for the poor creature; but what could be done? I had given him the opium in compassion for his solitary life, on recollecting that, if he had traveled on foot from London, it must be nearly three weeks since he could have exchanged a thought with any human being. 7. I could not think of violating the laws of hospitality by having him surged and drenched with an emetic, and thus frightening him into a notion that we were going to săcrifice him to some English idol. No, there was clearly no help for it; he took his leave, and for some days I felt anxious; but, as I never heard of any Malay being found dead, I became convinced that he was used to opium, and that I must have done him the service I designed, by giving him one night of respite' from the pains of wandering. THOMAS DE QUINCEY. 120. THE BURDENS OF MANKIND.-A DREAM. IT is a celebrated thought of Socrates, that if all the misfor be equally distributed among the whole species, those who now think themselves the most unhappy, would prefer the share they are already possessed of; before that which would fall to them by such a division. Horace3 has carried this thought a great deal 1 Rês' pite, interval of rest.-2 Socrates, an illustrious Greek philosopher, and teacher of youth, was born at Athens, in the year 458 в. c., and, though one of the wisest and most just of all men, suffered the punishment of death for impiety, at the age of seventy.- Horace, a noted Roman poet, born on the 8th of December, B. c. 65; died on the 19th of November, E. c. 8, at the age of fifty seven. 3 further he says that the hardships or misfortunes which we lie under, are more easy to us than those of any other person would be, in case we could change conditions with him. 2. As I was ruminating' on these two remarks, and seated in my elbow-chair, I insensibly fell asleep, when, on a sudden, I thought there was a proclamation made by Jupiter,' that every mortal should bring in his griefs and calamities, and throw them together in a heap. There was a large plain appointed for this purpose. I took my stand in the center of it, and saw, with a great deal of pleasure, the whole human species marching one after another, and throwing down their several loads, which immediately grew up into a prodigious mountain, that seemed to rise above the clouds.. 3. There was a certain lady, of a thin, airy shape, who was věry active in this solemnity. She carried a magnifying glass in one of her hands, and was clothed in a loose, flowing robe, embroidered with several figures of fiends and specters, that discovered themselves in a thousand chimerical' shapes, as her garment hovered in the wind. There was something wild and distracted in her looks. Her name was FANCY. She led up every mortal to the appointed place, after having very officiously assisted him in making up his pack, and laying it upon his shoulders. My heart melted within me, to see my fellowcreatures groaning under their respective burdens, and to consider that prodigious bulk of human calamities which lay before me. 4. There were, however, several persons who gave me great diversion upon this occasion. I observed one bringing in a fardel very carefully concealed under an old embroidered cloak, which, upon his throwing it into the heap, I discovered to be poverty. Another, after a great deal of puffing, threw down his luggage, which, upon examining, I found to be his wife. 5. There were numbers of lovers, saddled with very whimsical burdens, composed of darts and flames; but, what was very odd, though they sighed as if their hearts would break under 1 Ruminating (ro' mi nåt ing), musing on, or meditating over and over. -Jupiter, the chief of the fabulous gods of the ancients.- Prodigious (pro did' jus), very great; fitted to excite wonder. Chimerical (ỉ mẻr'. ik al), fanciful; imaginary.—' Får' del, bundle; a little pack. these bundles of calamities, they could not persuade themselves to cast them into the heap, when they came up to it; but, after a few faint efforts, shook their heads, and marched away as heavy laden as they came. 6. I saw multitudes of old women throw down their wrinkles, and several young ones, who stripped themselves of a tawny' skin. There were very great heaps of red noses, large lips, and rusty teeth. The truth of it is, I was surprised to see the greater part of the mountain made up of bodily deformities. Observing one advancing toward the heap with a larger cargo than ordinary upon his back, I found, upon his near approach, that it was only a natural hump, which he disposed of, with great joy of heart, among this collection of human miseries. 7. There were, likewise, distempers of all sorts; though I could not but observe, that there were many more imaginary than real. One little packet I could not but take notice of, which was a complication of all the diseases incident to human nature, and was in the hand of a great many fine people; this was called the Spleen.3 But what most of all surprised me, was a remark I made, that there was not a single vice or folly thrown into the whōle heap; at which I was very much astonished, having concluded within myself, that every one would take this opportunity of getting rid of his passions, prejudices, and frailties. 8. I took notice in particular of a věry profligate fellōw, who I did not question came loaded with his crimes; but upon searching into his bundle, I found that, instead of throwing his guilt from him, he had only laid down his memory. He was followed by another worthless rogue, who flung away his modesty 'nstead of his ignorance. 9. When the whole race of mankind had thus cast their burdens, the phantom which had been so busy on this occasion, seeing me an idle spectator of what had passed, approached toward me. I grew uneasy at her presence, when of a sudden she held her magnifying glass full before my eyes. I no sooner saw my face in it, than I was startled at the shortness of it, 1Tẳw'ny, of a yellowish dark color, like things tanned, or persons sunburnt.- Com pli cà' tion, entanglement; a number woven or tangled together.3 Spleen, melancholy; a disease called “hypochondria,” and familiarly, "blue devils." |