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Critical and Miscellaneous Essays ... (1841)
Critical and Miscellaneous Essays - 1841 Author:Walter Scott Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: HAJJI BABA IN ENGLAND. [Quarterly Review, January, 1829.] An old acquaintance of ours, as remarkable for the grotesque queerness of his physiognomy, as for... more » the kindness and gentleness of his disposition, was asked by a friend, where he had been? He replied he had been seeing the lion, which was at that time an object of curiosity—(we are not sure whether it was Nero or Cato—): " And what," rejoined the querist, " did the lion think of you?" The jest passed as a good one; and yet under it lies something that is serious and true. When a civilized people have gazed, at their leisure, upon one of those uninstructed productions of rude nature whom they term barbarians, the next object of natural curiosity is, to learn what opinion the barbarian has formed of the new state of society into which he is introduced—what the lion thinks of his visitors. Will the simple, unsophisticated being, we ask ourselves, be more inclined to reverence us, who direct the thunder and lightning by our command of electricity—control the course of the winds by our steam- engines—turn night into day by our gas—erect the most stupendous edifices by our machinery—soar into mid-air like eagles—at pleasure dive into the earth like moles?— or, to take us as individuals, and despise the effeminate child of social policy, whom the community have deprived of half his rights—who dares not avenge a blow without having recourse to a constable—who, like a pampered jade, cannot go but thirty miles a day without a halt—or endure hunger, were it only for twenty-four hours, without suffering and complaint—whose life is undignified by trophies acquired The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan in England. 2 vols. By J. Morier, Esq. The Kwzzilbasli; a Tale of Khorasan. 3 vols. By James Baillie Fbaseb, Esq. in the...« less