confessions of an english opium-eater-第12章

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aled。　　Here　was　a　panacea；　a　＇Greek　text＇　for　all　human　woes；　here　was　the　secret　of　happiness；　about　which　philosophers　had　disputed　for　so　many　ages；　at　once　discovered：　happiness　might　now　be　bought　for　a　penny；　and　carried　in　the　waistcoat　pocket；　portable　ecstacies　might　be　had　corked　up　in　a　pint　bottle；　and　peace　of　mind　could　be　sent　down　in　gallons　by　the　mail…coach。　　But　if　I　talk　in　this　way　the　reader　will　think　I　am　laughing；　and　I　can　assure　him　that　nobody　will　laugh　long　who　deals　much　with　opium：　　its　pleasures　even　are　of　a　grave　and　solemn　complexion；　and　in　his　happiest　state　the　opium…eater　cannot　present　himself　in　the　character　of　L'Allegro：　　even　then　he　speaks　and　thinks　as　becomes　Il　Penseroso。　　Nevertheless；　I　have　a　very　reprehensible　way　of　jesting　at　times　in　the　midst　of　my　own　misery；　and　unless　when　I　am　checked　by　some　more　powerful　feelings；　I　am　afraid　I　shall　be　guilty　of　this　indecent　practice　even　in　these　annals　of　suffering　or　enjoyment。　　The　reader　must　allow　a　little　to　my　infirm　nature　in　this　respect；　and　with　a　few　indulgences　of　that　sort　I　shall　endeavour　to　be　as　grave；　if　not　drowsy；　as　fits　a　theme　like　opium；　so　anti…mercurial　as　it　really　is；　and　so　drowsy　as　it　is　falsely　reputed。

And　first；　one　word　with　respect　to　its　bodily　effects；　for　upon　all　that　has　been　hitherto　written　on　the　subject　of　opium；　whether　by　travellers　in　Turkey　（who　may　plead　their　privilege　of　lying　as　an　old　immemorial　right）；　or　by　professors　of　medicine；　writing　ex　cathedra；　I　have　but　one　emphatic　criticism　to　pronounceLies！　lies！　lies！　　I　remember　once；　in　passing　a　book…stall；　to　have　caught　these　words　from　a　page　of　some　satiric　author：　　〃By　this　time　I　became　convinced　that　the　London　newspapers　spoke　truth　at　least　twice　a　week；　viz。；　on　Tuesday　and　Saturday；　and　might　safely　be　depended　upon　forthe　list　of　bankrupts。〃　　In　like　manner；　I　do　by　no　means　deny　that　some　truths　have　been　delivered　to　the　world　in　regard　to　opium。　　Thus　it　has　been　repeatedly　affirmed　by　the　learned　that　opium　is　a　dusky　brown　in　colour；　and　this；　take　notice；　I　grant。　　Secondly；　that　it　is　rather　dear；　which　also　I　grant；　for　in　my　time　East　Indian　opium　has　been　three　guineas　a　pound；　and　Turkey　eight。　　And　thirdly；　that　if　you　eat　a　good　deal　of　it；　most　probably　you　mustdo　what　is　particularly　disagreeable　to　any　man　of　regular　habits；　viz。；　die。　｛12｝　　These　weighty　propositions　are；　all　and　singular；　true：　　I　cannot　gainsay　them；　and　truth　ever　was；　and　will　be；　commendable。　　But　in　these　three　theorems　I　believe　we　have　exhausted　the　stock　of　knowledge　as　yet　accumulated　by　men　on　the　subject　of　opium。

And　therefore；　worthy　doctors；　as　there　seems　to　be　room　for　further　discoveries；　stand　aside；　and　allow　me　to　come　forward　and　lecture　on　this　matter。

First；　then；　it　is　not　so　much　affirmed　as　taken　for　granted；　by　all　who　ever　mention　opium；　formally　or　incidentally；　that　it　does　or　can　produce　intoxication。　　Now；　reader；　assure　yourself；　meo　perieulo；　that　no　quantity　of　opium　ever　did　or　could　intoxicate。　As　to　the　tincture　of　opium　（commonly　called　laudanum）　THAT　might　certainly　intoxicate　if　a　man　could　bear　to　take　enough　of　it；　but　why？　　Because　it　contains　so　much　proof　spirit；　and　not　because　it　contains　so　much　opium。　　But　crude　opium；　I　affirm　peremptorily；　is　incapable　of　producing　any　state　of　body　at　all　resembling　that　which　is　produced　by　alcohol；　and　not　in　DEGREE　only　incapable；　but　even　in　KIND：　　it　is　not　in　the　quantity　of　its　effects　merely；　but　in　the　quality；　that　it　differs　altogether。　　The　pleasure　given　by　wine　is　always　mounting　and　tending　to　a　crisis；　after　which　it　declines；　that　from　opium；　when　once　generated；　is　stationary　for　eight　or　ten　hours：　　the　first；　to　borrow　a　technical　distinction　from　medicine；　is　a　case　of　acutethe　second；　the　chronic　pleasure；　the　one　is　a　flame；　the　other　a　steady　and　equable　glow。　　But　the　main　distinction　lies　in　this；　that　whereas　wine　disorders　the　mental　faculties；　opium；　on　the　contrary　（if　taken　in　a　proper　manner）；　introduces　amongst　them　the　most　exquisite　order；　legislation；　and　harmony。　　Wine　robs　a　man　of　his　self…possession；　opium　greatly　invigorates　it。　　Wine　unsettles　and　clouds　the　judgement；　and　gives　a　preternatural　brightness　and　a　vivid　exaltation　to　the　contempts　and　the　admirations；　the　loves　and　the　hatreds　of　the　drinker；　opium；　on　the　contrary；　communicates　serenity　and　equipoise　to　all　the　faculties；　active　or　passive；　and　with　respect　to　the　temper　and　moral　feelings　in　general　it　gives　simply　that　sort　of　vital　warmth　which　is　approved　by　the　judgment；　and　which　would　probably　always　accompany　a　bodily　constitution　of　primeval　or　antediluvian　health。　　Thus；　for　instance；　opium；　like　wine；　gives　an　expansion　to　the　heart　and　the　benevolent　affections；　but　then；　with　this　remarkable　difference；　that　in　the　sudden　development　of　kind…heartedness　which　accompanies　inebriation　there　is　always　more　or　less　of　a　maudlin　character；　which　exposes　it　to　the　contempt　of　the　bystander。　　Men　shake　hands；　swear　eternal　friendship；　and　shed　tears；　no　mortal　knows　why；　and　the　sensual　creature　is　clearly　uppermost。　　But　the　expansion　of　the　benigner　feelings　incident　to　opium　is　no　febrile　access；　but　a　healthy　restoration　to　that　state　which　the　mind　would　naturally　recover　upon　the　removal　of　any　deep…seated　irritation　of　pain　that　had　disturbed　and　quarrelled　with　the　impulses　of　a　heart　originally　just　and　good。　　True　it　is　that　even　wine；　up　to　a　certain　point　and　with　certain　men；　rather　tends　to　exalt　and　to　steady　the　intellect；　I　myself；　who　have　never　been　a　great　wine…drinker；　used　to　find　that　half…a…dozen　glasses　of　wine　advantageously　affected　the　facultiesbrightened　and　intensified　the　consciousness；　and　gave　to　the　mind　a　feeling　of　being　〃ponderibus　librata　suis；〃　and　certainly　it　is　most　absurdly　said；　in　popular　language；　of　any　man　that　he　is　DISGUISED　in　liquor；　for；　on　the　contrary；　most　men　are　disguised　by　sobriety；　and　it　is　when　they　are　drinking　（as　some　old　gentleman　says　in　Athenaeus）；　that　men　＇Greek　text＇display　themselves　in　their　true　complexion　of　character；　which　surely　is　not　disguising　themselves。　　But　still；　wine　constantly　leads　a　man　to　the　brink　of　absurdity　and　extravagance；　and　beyond　a　certain　point　it　is　sure　to　volatilise　and　to　disperse　the　intellectual　energies：　　whereas　opium　always　seems　to　compose　what　had　been　agitated；　and　to　concentrate　what　had　been　distracted。　　In　short；　to　sum　up　all　in　one　word；　a　man　who　is　inebriated；　or　tending　to　inebriation；　is；　and　feels　that　he　is；　in　a　condition　which　calls　up　into　supremacy　the　merely　human；　too　often　the　brutal　part　of　his　nature；　but　the　opium…eater　（I　speak　of　him　who　is　not　suffering　from　any　disease　or　other　remote　effects　of　opium）　feels　that　the　divines　part　of　his　nature　is　paramount；　that　is；　the　moral　affections　are　in　a　state　of　cloudless　serenity；　and　over　all　is　the　great　light　of　the　majestic　intellect。

This　is　the　doctrine　of　the　true　church　on　the　subject　of　opium：　　of　which　church　I　acknowledge　myself　to　be　the　only　memberthe　alpha　and　the　omega：　　but　then　it　is　to　be　recollected　that　I　speak　from　the　ground　of　a　large　and　profound　personal　experience：　　whereas　most　of　the　unscientific　｛13｝　authors　who　have　at　all　treated　of　opium；　and　even　of　those　who　have　written　expressly　on　the　materia　medica；　make　it　evident；　from　the　horror　they　express　of　it；　that　their　experimental　knowledge　of　its　action　is　none　at　all。　　I　will；　however；　candidly　acknowledge　that　I　have　met　with　one　person　who　bore　evidence　to　its　intoxicating　power；　such　as　staggered　my　own　incredulity；　for　he　was　a　surgeon；　and　had　himself　taken　opium　largely。　　I　happened　to　say　to　him　that　his　enemies　（as　I　had　heard）　charged　him　with　talking　nonsense　on　politics；　and　that　his　friends　apologized　for　him　by　suggesting　that　he　was　constantly　in　a　state　of　intoxication　from　opium。　　Now　the　accusation；　said　I；　is　not　prima　facie　and　of　necessity　an　absurd　one；　but　the　defence　IS。　　To　my　surprise；　however；　he　insisted　that　both　his　enemies　and　his　friends　were　in　the　right。　　〃I　will　maintain；〃　said　he；　〃that　I　DO　talk　nonsense；　and　secondly；　I　will　ma