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Article THE PHILOSOPHER AND HIS PUPIL. ← Page 3 of 7 →
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The Philosopher And His Pupil.
to render of no effect the resolve of age ; even the gods relent if wooed with penitence . —Wilt thou be less pitiful , father—Friend , reject me not ; lead me from ignorance to wisdom ; from vice to virtue . " The sage , attracted by the apparent earnestness of the youth , gazed upon him for a few moments , as if to read his very soul . " I remember , " he at last exclaimed , " during the Trojan war , thou wert
shield-bearer to the valiant and royal Agamemnon , and wert slain by an arrow from the walls ; evil and good were mingled in thee—thou art still the same , I find . Dost thou not remember me ?—I then was Euphorbus . " Heros listened in astonishment , never having heard before of the sage ' s doctrine of the transmigration of the soul .
" Thou art strangely surprised , I see , " continued Pythagoras . " Alas ! for the unrestrained indulgence of thy passions , were thy soul chastened by temperance , thy mind fortified by wisdom , that past , which now appears to thee a page , blank and unlettered , would be clear as the bright sun ; but now the earthly particles of thy nature prevail , and vice and intemperance obscure it . "
" Tell me , " exclaimed tbe bewildered youth , " how may I hope to obtain such wondrous knowledge ?" " By silence and patience , " replied the philosopher . " No words , "
be continued , laying bis finger upon his hip ; " obey me—await my hour , and depart . " Silent and thoughtful , Heros sought his home ; a few hours had changed him . The intoxicating pleasures that hitherto had held his soul in chains , debasing its action , crushing its nobler energies , he determined should be cast off for ever .
" The cup , the midnight revel , " he exclaimed , " shall be exchanged for wisdom ; like an unseemly garb , I cast aside the vices of my youth , and clothe myself anew . " Months passed away , and Heros still adhered to his resolution . Night found him at his studies and morning stimulated him but to fresh exertion : still the expected summons from the sage came not ;
and , with the impatience of youth , he deemed himself forgotten , or held unworthy of his instruction . The report of his altered mode of life soon spread through the city ; but when they heard it , old men shook their heads , and exclaimed , " that he would break out again more furious than the untamed colt ; more drunk than ever . " His companions , angry at being denied admittance at his door ,
sneered , and declared he had a fever ; but all joined in the opinion , that his present change of life was but the mask of some fresh folly . The day of the city festival at last arrived , and Heros once more mingled with his fellow-citizens ; it being an occasion on which he could not be absent without dishonour . Instead of the loose , festive
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Philosopher And His Pupil.
to render of no effect the resolve of age ; even the gods relent if wooed with penitence . —Wilt thou be less pitiful , father—Friend , reject me not ; lead me from ignorance to wisdom ; from vice to virtue . " The sage , attracted by the apparent earnestness of the youth , gazed upon him for a few moments , as if to read his very soul . " I remember , " he at last exclaimed , " during the Trojan war , thou wert
shield-bearer to the valiant and royal Agamemnon , and wert slain by an arrow from the walls ; evil and good were mingled in thee—thou art still the same , I find . Dost thou not remember me ?—I then was Euphorbus . " Heros listened in astonishment , never having heard before of the sage ' s doctrine of the transmigration of the soul .
" Thou art strangely surprised , I see , " continued Pythagoras . " Alas ! for the unrestrained indulgence of thy passions , were thy soul chastened by temperance , thy mind fortified by wisdom , that past , which now appears to thee a page , blank and unlettered , would be clear as the bright sun ; but now the earthly particles of thy nature prevail , and vice and intemperance obscure it . "
" Tell me , " exclaimed tbe bewildered youth , " how may I hope to obtain such wondrous knowledge ?" " By silence and patience , " replied the philosopher . " No words , "
be continued , laying bis finger upon his hip ; " obey me—await my hour , and depart . " Silent and thoughtful , Heros sought his home ; a few hours had changed him . The intoxicating pleasures that hitherto had held his soul in chains , debasing its action , crushing its nobler energies , he determined should be cast off for ever .
" The cup , the midnight revel , " he exclaimed , " shall be exchanged for wisdom ; like an unseemly garb , I cast aside the vices of my youth , and clothe myself anew . " Months passed away , and Heros still adhered to his resolution . Night found him at his studies and morning stimulated him but to fresh exertion : still the expected summons from the sage came not ;
and , with the impatience of youth , he deemed himself forgotten , or held unworthy of his instruction . The report of his altered mode of life soon spread through the city ; but when they heard it , old men shook their heads , and exclaimed , " that he would break out again more furious than the untamed colt ; more drunk than ever . " His companions , angry at being denied admittance at his door ,
sneered , and declared he had a fever ; but all joined in the opinion , that his present change of life was but the mask of some fresh folly . The day of the city festival at last arrived , and Heros once more mingled with his fellow-citizens ; it being an occasion on which he could not be absent without dishonour . Instead of the loose , festive