Stultifera Navis; the Modern Ship of Fools

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1807 edition. Excerpt: ... Stultifera navis; ... William Henry Ireland DEDICATION. To that individual, if such a one exists, who resembles the man sought after by the philosopher Diogenes at noon day, with a lighted candle in a lanthorn.* S Unknown, Wheresoe'er thou art, I humbly greet thee, heedless of thy country, religion, language, or colour; well convinced, that neither climate, creed, DEGREES tongue nor cornp e;xion, Ca prove detiisn'ental to the expansion of wisdom, .or tend to warp thee from the pursuit of everlasting' 'i To thee, O Plvsjyx . DEGREES to adopt the words of Solomon, " Beloved of my soul," do I send this little * It is obvious, that our Poet did not take the honest man ef the Cynic, in a literal sense, but that he conceived the philosopher went in search of a wise and good man, and not merely of one who was proof against the temptation of purloining a silver spoon. Colui e huomo, che pud regger se stesso. A3 book, greeting, under the assurance, that my moral will be in unison with thy practice, and consonant with thy theory, when absolute action hath not led thee to display thy conduct to the world of fools. To intrude upon thee fulsome flattery would be fruitless, thy discriminating sense would pierce the flimsy veil: to wish thee unfading happiness would be nugatory, since wisdom is thy pursuit, and joys unperishable are the attendants on those who struggle in order to its attainment: to urge thee to proceed in thy career with steady determination, would merely hold me up to ridicule in thine eyes, since he who hath tasted the delicious fruits of science, would never, ij DEGREESit the JlespreriaiUpybduce "to prey on garbage.'1 'Therefore* naught' have I further to add, but take my'featfej'Mutes 'the firm conviction, that ....