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Article THURLOGH, THE MILESIAN. ← Page 7 of 17 →
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Thurlogh, The Milesian.
" A laugh , Thurlogh ! a laugh ! Whatever could affect you to tears , could never move me to laughter . Take courage , therefore , speak out candidly ; it may not be so ridiculous either . " The tenderness of accent in which these words were conveyed only aggravated the chord of Thurlogh ' s sensibility . His bosom heaved as with an ocean of sorrow—a stream of tears again trickled down his cheeksso
, that , notwithstanding all assurances to the contrary , the father began to imagine something serious had occurred to produce such extraordinary emotions . It was not prudent , however , he thought to urge the point any further ; so he left him to himself , and for a moment withdrew . At the end of the gallery towards which he had retired , lay a marble slab , supported by a pedestal of antique mould , and surmounted by a figure
representing one of his forefathers . The armorial bearings were engraved with curious and exquisite art upon the front and either side of the pedestal , while the surface of the slab contained an inscription eulogistic of the virtues of him whom it was intended to commemorate . The father gazed upon the statue as if he had only then seen it for the first time , when suddenly recollecting a little poem he had heard Thurlogh
once deliver as a kind of lament for the " heroes" of olden times , he felt irresistibly actuated now to recite it . No effect whatsoever was intended on his part—it came , notwithstanding , like lightning upon the ear ; and ere you could have thought it possible , his son stood beside him . " Well , father , " he cried , abruptly announcing his approach , " and so you have hit off the subject of my melancholy reflections ? You do so dive
into the recesses of one's breast , and explore so accurately the very intricacies of its speculations , that one may as well have their thoughts and actions delineated upon their forehead as attempt to conceal them from your insight . Yet father , I beg pardon , I did not , perhaps , do justice to your scrutiny : if you do detect , it is not to inflict pain , nor to indulge a selfish or idle curiosity—your researches are ever with a nobler view—to bring back the heart
in its pursuit after a phantom , and fix it more steadily upon the attainment of something solid . Yes , did I but regulate my wild fancy more in conformity with your directions , I should not have been , as I now am , the victim of a dream . "
" Thanks , Thurlogh , " said the father , " for your generous civilities , and I am only sorry that they should be at your own expense . Those dreams , however , which you designate , though I should by no means wish to encourage them , are not such , after all , as you need to be ashamed of . They do honour to your heart if not to your understanding , and would to heaven ! you may never through life experience any more substantial cause for weeping , or discover , by contrast the ideality of the present . But comeI would
, wish to hear from yourself that effusion of your genius which once escaped you on the corridor ; and to my recollection of which I am now indebted for this welcome visit of yours . " " You shall have it , father ; but , first , let me disclaim the application of the word ' genius . ' It does not belong to me , or , perhaps , as you say so , it
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Thurlogh, The Milesian.
" A laugh , Thurlogh ! a laugh ! Whatever could affect you to tears , could never move me to laughter . Take courage , therefore , speak out candidly ; it may not be so ridiculous either . " The tenderness of accent in which these words were conveyed only aggravated the chord of Thurlogh ' s sensibility . His bosom heaved as with an ocean of sorrow—a stream of tears again trickled down his cheeksso
, that , notwithstanding all assurances to the contrary , the father began to imagine something serious had occurred to produce such extraordinary emotions . It was not prudent , however , he thought to urge the point any further ; so he left him to himself , and for a moment withdrew . At the end of the gallery towards which he had retired , lay a marble slab , supported by a pedestal of antique mould , and surmounted by a figure
representing one of his forefathers . The armorial bearings were engraved with curious and exquisite art upon the front and either side of the pedestal , while the surface of the slab contained an inscription eulogistic of the virtues of him whom it was intended to commemorate . The father gazed upon the statue as if he had only then seen it for the first time , when suddenly recollecting a little poem he had heard Thurlogh
once deliver as a kind of lament for the " heroes" of olden times , he felt irresistibly actuated now to recite it . No effect whatsoever was intended on his part—it came , notwithstanding , like lightning upon the ear ; and ere you could have thought it possible , his son stood beside him . " Well , father , " he cried , abruptly announcing his approach , " and so you have hit off the subject of my melancholy reflections ? You do so dive
into the recesses of one's breast , and explore so accurately the very intricacies of its speculations , that one may as well have their thoughts and actions delineated upon their forehead as attempt to conceal them from your insight . Yet father , I beg pardon , I did not , perhaps , do justice to your scrutiny : if you do detect , it is not to inflict pain , nor to indulge a selfish or idle curiosity—your researches are ever with a nobler view—to bring back the heart
in its pursuit after a phantom , and fix it more steadily upon the attainment of something solid . Yes , did I but regulate my wild fancy more in conformity with your directions , I should not have been , as I now am , the victim of a dream . "
" Thanks , Thurlogh , " said the father , " for your generous civilities , and I am only sorry that they should be at your own expense . Those dreams , however , which you designate , though I should by no means wish to encourage them , are not such , after all , as you need to be ashamed of . They do honour to your heart if not to your understanding , and would to heaven ! you may never through life experience any more substantial cause for weeping , or discover , by contrast the ideality of the present . But comeI would
, wish to hear from yourself that effusion of your genius which once escaped you on the corridor ; and to my recollection of which I am now indebted for this welcome visit of yours . " " You shall have it , father ; but , first , let me disclaim the application of the word ' genius . ' It does not belong to me , or , perhaps , as you say so , it