The Optimist

Front Cover
G.P. Putnam, 1850 - 273 pages
 

Contents

I
1
II
31
III
60
IV
72
V
88
VI
103
VII
112
VIII
128
XII
164
XIII
175
XIV
181
XV
195
XVI
205
XVII
212
XVIII
224
XIX
231

IX
135
X
147
XI
160
XX
238
XXI
257
XXII
262

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Page 70 - Her voice was ever soft, Gentle, and low, — an excellent thing in woman.
Page 68 - The stars of midnight shall be dear To her; and she shall lean her ear In many a secret place Where rivulets dance their wayward round, And beauty born of murmuring sound Shall pass into her face.
Page 67 - He that at midnight, when the very labourer sleeps securely, should hear, as I have very often, the clear airs, the sweet descants, the natural rising and falling, the doubling and redoubling of her voice, might well be lifted above earth, and say, Lord, what music hast thou provided for the Saints in Heaven, when thou affordest bad men such music on Earth...
Page 205 - Round from his parted forelock manly hung Clustering, but not beneath his shoulders broad : She, as a veil, down to the slender waist Her unadorned golden tresses wore Dishevelled, but in wanton ringlets waved As the vine curls her tendrils, which implied Subjection, but required with gentle sway, And by her yielded, by him best received, Yielded with coy submission, modest pride, And sweet, reluctant, amorous delay.
Page 34 - is not to be obtained but by devout prayer to that Eternal Spirit that can enrich with all utterance and knowledge, and sends out his Seraphim, with the hallowed fire of his altar, to touch and purify the lips of whom he pleases. To this must be added, industrious and select reading, steady observation, and insight into all seemly and generous arts and affairs; till which in some measure be compassed, I refuse not to sustain this expectation.
Page 14 - ... little walks of children than with men. Is there no possibility of averting this sore evil? Think what you would have been now, if instead of being fed with Tales and old wives' fables in childhood, you had been crammed with geography and natural history?
Page 210 - Give yourself no unnecessary pain, My dear Lord Cardinal. Here, mother, tie My girdle for me, and bind up this hair In any simple knot : ay, that does well. And yours I see is coming down. How often Have we done this for one another ! now We shall not do it any more. My lord, We are quite ready. Well, 'tis very well.
Page 60 - Now opium, by greatly increasing the activity of the mind, generally increases, of necessity, that particular mode of its activity by which we are able to construct out of the raw material of organic sound an elaborate intellectual pleasure.
Page 178 - ... and shop-lifting in seven. In the naked temper which a merry heart discovered, he would say. There was no danger, - but to itself: - whereas the very essence of gravity was design, and consequently deceit; - 'twas a taught trick to gain credit of the world for more sense and knowledge than a man was worth...
Page 152 - Roderick's vow is extremely fine, and his blessing on the vow of Alphonso : "Towards the troop he spread his arms, As if the expanded soul diffused itself, And carried to all spirits with the act Its affluent inspiration.

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