confessions of an english opium-eater-第13章

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ds　were　in　the　right。　　〃I　will　maintain；〃　said　he；　〃that　I　DO　talk　nonsense；　and　secondly；　I　will　maintain　that　I　do　not　talk　nonsense　upon　principle；　or　with　any　view　to　profit；　but　solely　and　simply；　said　he；　solely　and　simplysolely　and　simply　（repeating　it　three　times　over）；　because　I　am　drunk　with　opium；　and　THAT　daily。〃　I　replied　that；　as　to　the　allegation　of　his　enemies；　as　it　seemed　to　be　established　upon　such　respectable　testimony；　seeing　that　the　three　parties　concerned　all　agree　in　it；　it　did　not　become　me　to　question　it；　but　the　defence　set　up　I　must　demur　to。　　He　proceeded　to　discuss　the　matter；　and　to　lay　down　his　reasons；　but　it　seemed　to　me　so　impolite　to　pursue　an　argument　which　must　have　presumed　a　man　mistaken　in　a　point　belonging　to　his　own　profession；　that　I　did　not　press　him　even　when　his　course　of　argument　seemed　open　to　objection；　not　to　mention　that　a　man　who　talks　nonsense；　even　though　〃with　no　view　to　profit；〃　is　not　altogether　the　most　agreeable　partner　in　a　dispute；　whether　as　opponent　or　respondent。　　I　confess；　however；　that　the　authority　of　a　surgeon；　and　one　who　was　reputed　a　good　one；　may　seem　a　weighty　one　to　my　prejudice；　but　still　I　must　plead　my　experience；　which　was　greater　than　his　greatest　by　7；000　drops　a…　day；　and　though　it　was　not　possible　to　suppose　a　medical　man　unacquainted　with　the　characteristic　symptoms　of　vinous　intoxication；　it　yet　struck　me　that　he　might　proceed　on　a　logical　error　of　using　the　word　intoxication　with　too　great　latitude；　and　extending　it　generically　to　all　modes　of　nervous　excitement；　instead　of　restricting　it　as　the　expression　for　a　specific　sort　of　excitement　connected　with　certain　diagnostics。　　Some　people　have　maintained　in　my　hearing　that　they　had　been　drunk　upon　green　tea；　and　a　medical　student　in　London；　for　whose　knowledge　in　his　profession　I　have　reason　to　feel　great　respect；　assured　me　the　other　day　that　a　patient　in　recovering　from　an　illness　had　got　drunk　on　a　beef…steak。

Having　dwelt　so　much　on　this　first　and　leading　error　in　respect　to　opium；　I　shall　notice　very　briefly　a　second　and　a　third；　which　are；　that　the　elevation　of　spirits　produced　by　opium　is　necessarily　followed　by　a　proportionate　depression；　and　that　the　natural　and　even　immediate　consequence　of　opium　is　torpor　and　stagnation；　animal　and　mental。　　The　first　of　these　errors　I　shall　content　myself　with　simply　denying；　assuring　my　reader　that　for　ten　years；　during　which　I　took　opium　at　intervals；　the　day　succeeding　to　that　on　which　I　allowed　myself　this　luxury　was　always　a　day　of　unusually　good　spirits。

With　respect　to　the　torpor　supposed　to　follow；　or　rather　（if　we　were　to　credit　the　numerous　pictures　of　Turkish　opium…eaters）　to　accompany　the　practice　of　opium…eating；　I　deny　that　also。　　Certainly　opium　is　classed　under　the　head　of　narcotics；　and　some　such　effect　it　may　produce　in　the　end；　but　the　primary　effects　of　opium　are　always；　and　in　the　highest　degree；　to　excite　and　stimulate　the　system。　　This　first　stage　of　its　action　always　lasted　with　me；　during　my　noviciate；　for　upwards　of　eight　hours；　so　that　it　must　be　the　fault　of　the　opium…eater　himself　if　he　does　not　so　time　his　exhibition　of　the　dose　（to　speak　medically）　as　that　the　whole　weight　of　its　narcotic　influence　may　descend　upon　his　sleep。　　Turkish　opium…eaters；　it　seems；　are　absurd　enough　to　sit；　like　so　many　equestrian　statues；　on　logs　of　wood　as　stupid　as　themselves。　　But　that　the　reader　may　judge　of　the　degree　in　which　opium　is　likely　to　stupefy　the　faculties　of　an　Englishman；　I　shall　（by　way　of　treating　the　question　illustratively；　rather　than　argumentatively）　describe　the　way　in　which　I　myself　often　passed　an　opium　evening　in　London　during　the　period　between　1804…1812。　　It　will　be　seen　that　at　least　opium　did　not　move　me　to　seek　solitude；　and　much　less　to　seek　inactivity；　or　the　torpid　state　of　self…involution　ascribed　to　the　Turks。　　I　give　this　account　at　the　risk　of　being　pronounced　a　crazy　enthusiast　or　visionary；　but　I　regard　THAT　little。　　I　must　desire　my　reader　to　bear　in　mind　that　I　was　a　hard　student；　and　at　severe　studies　for　all　the　rest　of　my　time；　and　certainly　I　had　a　right　occasionally　to　relaxations　as　well　as　other　people。　　These；　however；　I　allowed　myself　but　seldom。

The　late　Duke　ofused　to　say；　〃Next　Friday；　by　the　blessing　of　heaven；　I　purpose　to　be　drunk；〃　and　in　like　manner　I　used　to　fix　beforehand　how　often　within　a　given　time；　and　when；　I　would　commit　a　debauch　of　opium。　　This　was　seldom　more　than　once　in　three　weeks；　for　at　that　time　I　could　not　have　ventured　to　call　every　day；　as　I　did　afterwards；　for　〃A　GLASS　OF　LAUDANUM　NEGUS；　WARM；　AND　WITHOUT　SUGAR。〃　　No；　as　I　have　said；　I　seldom　drank　laudanum；　at　that　time；　more　than　once　in　three　weeks：　　This　was　usually　on　a　Tuesday　or　a　Saturday　night；　my　reason　for　which　was　this。　　In　those　days　Grassini　sang　at　the　Opera；　and　her　voice　was　delightful　to　me　beyond　all　that　I　had　ever　heard。　　I　know　not　what　may　be　the　state　of　the　Opera…house　now；　having　never　been　within　its　walls　for　seven　or　eight　years；　but　at　that　time　it　was　by　much　the　most　pleasant　place　of　public　resort　in　London　for　passing　an　evening。　　Five　shillings　admitted　one　to　the　gallery；　which　was　subject　to　far　less　annoyance　than　the　pit　of　the　theatres；　the　orchestra　was　distinguished　by　its　sweet　and　melodious　grandeur　from　all　English　orchestras；　the　composition　of　which；　I　confess；　is　not　acceptable　to　my　ear；　from　the　predominance　of　the　clamorous　instruments　and　the　absolute　tyranny　of　the　violin。　　The　choruses　were　divine　to　hear；　and　when　Grassini　appeared　in　some　interlude；　as　she　often　did；　and　poured　forth　her　passionate　soul　as　Andromache　at　the　tomb　of　Hector；　&c。；　I　question　whether　any　Turk；　of　all　that　ever　entered　the　Paradise　of　Opium…eaters；　can　have　had　half　the　pleasure　I　had。　　But；　indeed；　I　honour　the　barbarians　too　much　by　supposing　them　capable　of　any　pleasures　approaching　to　the　intellectual　ones　of　an　Englishman。　　For　music　is　an　intellectual　or　a　sensual　pleasure　according　to　the　temperament　of　him　who　hears　it。　　And；　by…　the…bye；　with　the　exception　of　the　fine　extravaganza　on　that　subject　in　〃Twelfth　Night；〃　I　do　not　recollect　more　than　one　thing　said　adequately　on　the　subject　of　music　in　all　literature；　it　is　a　passage　in　the　Religio　Medici　｛14｝　of　Sir　T。　Brown；　and　though　chiefly　remarkable　for　its　sublimity；　has　also　a　philosophic　value；　inasmuch　as　it　points　to　the　true　theory　of　musical　effects。　　The　mistake　of　most　people　is　to　suppose　that　it　is　by　the　ear　they　communicate　with　music；　and　therefore　that　they　are　purely　passive　to　its　effects。　　But　this　is　not　so；　it　is　by　the　reaction　of　the　mind　upon　the　notices　of　the　ear　（the　MATTER　coming　by　the　senses；　the　FORM　from　the　mind）　that　the　pleasure　is　constructed；　and　therefore　it　is　that　people　of　equally　good　ear　differ　so　much　in　this　point　from　one　another。　　Now；　opium；　by　greatly　increasing　the　activity　of　the　mind；　generally　increases；　of　necessity；　that　particular　mode　of　its　activity　by　which　we　are　able　to　construct　out　of　the　raw　material　of　organic　sound　an　elaborate　intellectual　pleasure。　　But；　says　a　friend；　a　succession　of　musical　sounds　is　to　me　like　a　collection　of　Arabic　characters；　I　can　attach　no　ideas　to　them。　　Ideas！　my　good　sir？　　There　is　no　occasion　for　them；　all　that　class　of　ideas　which　can　be　available　in　such　a　case　has　a　language　of　representative　feelings。　　But　this　is　a　subject　foreign　to　my　present　purposes；　it　is　sufficient　to　say　that　a　chorus；　&c。；　of　elaborate　harmony　displayed　before　me；　as　in　a　piece　of　arras　work；　the　whole　of　my　past　lifenot　as　if　recalled　by　an　act　of　memory；　but　as　if　present　and　incarnated　in　the　music；　no　longer　painful　to　dwell　upon；　but　the　detail　of　its　incidents　removed　or　blended　in　some　hazy　abstraction；　and　its　passions　exalted；　spiritualized；　and　sublimed。　　All　this　was　to　be　had　for　five　shillings。　　And　over　and　above　the　music　of　the　stage　and　the　orchestra；　I　had　all　around　me；　in　the　intervals　of　the　performance；　the　music　of　the　Italian　language　talked　by　Italian　womenfor　the　gallery　was　usually　crowded　with　Italiansand　I　listened　with　a　pleasure　such　as　that　with　which　Weld　the　traveller　lay　and　listened；　in　Canada；　to　the　swee