Agincourt: A Romance

Agincourt: A Romance - The Works of G. P. R. James, Volume XX

"D'autres auteurs l'ont encore plus avili, (le roman,) en y mlant les tableaux dgoutant du vice; et tandis que le premier avantage des fictions est de rassembler autour de l'homme tout ce qui, dans la nature, peut lui servir de leon ou de modle, on a imagin qu'on tirerait une utilit quelconque des peintures odieuses de mauvaises murs; comme si elles pouvaient jamais laisser le cur qui les repousse, dans une situation aussi pure que le cur qui les aurait toujours ignores. Mais un roman tel qu'on peut le concevoir, tel que nous en avons quelques modles, est une des plus belles productions de l'esprit humain, une des plus influentes sur la morale des individus, qui doit former ensuite les murs publiques."--Madame De Stael. Essai sur les Fictions. The night was as black as ink; not a solitary twinkling star looked out through that wide expanse of shadow, which our great Poet has called the "blanket of the dark;" clouds covered the heaven; the moon had not risen to tinge them even with grey, and the sun had too long set to leave one faint streak of purple upon the edge of the western sky. Trees, houses, villages, fields, and gardens, all lay in one profound obscurity, and even the course of the high-road itself required eyes well-accustomed to night-travelling to be able to distinguish it, as it wandered on through a rich part of Hampshire, amidst alternate woods and meadows. Yet at that murky hour, a traveller on horseback rode forward upon his way, at an easy pace, and with a light heart, if one might judge by the snatches of homely ballads that broke from his lips as he trotted on. These might, indeed, afford a fallacious indication of what was going on within the breast, and in his case they did so; for habit is more our master than we know, and often rules our external demeanour, whenever the spirit is called to take council in the deep chambers within, showing upon the surface, without any effort on our part to hide our thoughts, a very different aspect from that of the mind's business at the moment. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 39519
Author: James, G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford)
Release Date: Apr 23, 2012
Format: eBook
Language: English