DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.11636#0033
AND LOWER EGYPT. 7
irony characters, in order to rouse them, he feels
himself at times constrained to borrow their lan-
guage. These circumstances taken together leave
an impress of harshness, which, to delicate eyes,
presents,an appearance bordering on vulgarity, and
which exerts an irresistible influence on the style.
Besides, the efforts made to acquire the capacity of
speaking foreign languages, imperceptibly make a
man forget his own ; and with all this, no resource
in the consolations of literature, not so much as
leisure to direct the thoughts toward a subject of
that description. Such are the embarrassments in
which I must probably have felt myself entangled,
and out of which I must have extricated myself,
had I written the history of my travels immediately
on their termination. If the traveller is the histo-
rian of the men he meets on his way, he is at the
same time the historian of Nature ; and, in order to
do her the justice she deserves, he ought to be able
to paint her in full dress, as in her noble simplicity.
Perhaps I may be mistaken, but I am disposed to
think that, in the last-mentioned respect, my work
will have gained a great deal by the delay of pub-
lication, and that I shall have reason to applaud
myself on having complied with Montaigne's pre-
cept, addressed to authors: " Let them think se-
" riouslyof the matter before they publish ; who is
e{ hurrying them ?" (Essays, book iii. ch. 9.)
B 4 Egypt,
irony characters, in order to rouse them, he feels
himself at times constrained to borrow their lan-
guage. These circumstances taken together leave
an impress of harshness, which, to delicate eyes,
presents,an appearance bordering on vulgarity, and
which exerts an irresistible influence on the style.
Besides, the efforts made to acquire the capacity of
speaking foreign languages, imperceptibly make a
man forget his own ; and with all this, no resource
in the consolations of literature, not so much as
leisure to direct the thoughts toward a subject of
that description. Such are the embarrassments in
which I must probably have felt myself entangled,
and out of which I must have extricated myself,
had I written the history of my travels immediately
on their termination. If the traveller is the histo-
rian of the men he meets on his way, he is at the
same time the historian of Nature ; and, in order to
do her the justice she deserves, he ought to be able
to paint her in full dress, as in her noble simplicity.
Perhaps I may be mistaken, but I am disposed to
think that, in the last-mentioned respect, my work
will have gained a great deal by the delay of pub-
lication, and that I shall have reason to applaud
myself on having complied with Montaigne's pre-
cept, addressed to authors: " Let them think se-
" riouslyof the matter before they publish ; who is
e{ hurrying them ?" (Essays, book iii. ch. 9.)
B 4 Egypt,