confessions of an english opium-eater-第2章

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of　opium…eating　in　after…life；　it　has　been　judged　proper　to　premise；　for　three　several　reasons：

1。　　As　forestalling　that　question；　and　giving　it　a　satisfactory　answer；　which　else　would　painfully　obtrude　itself　in　the　course　of　the　Opium　Confessions〃How　came　any　reasonable　being　to　subject　himself　to　such　a　yoke　of　misery；　voluntarily　to　incur　a　captivity　so　servile；　and　knowingly　to　fetter　himself　with　such　a　sevenfold　chain？〃a　question　which；　if　not　somewhere　plausibly　resolved；　could　hardly　fail；　by　the　indignation　which　it　would　be　apt　to　raise　as　against　an　act　of　wanton　folly；　to　interfere　with　that　degree　of　sympathy　which　is　necessary　in　any　case　to　an　author's　purposes。

2。　　As　furnishing　a　key　to　some　parts　of　that　tremendous　scenery　which　afterwards　peopled　the　dreams　of　the　Opium…eater。

3。　　As　creating　some　previous　interest　of　a　personal　sort　in　the　confessing　subject；　apart　from　the　matter　of　the　confessions；　which　cannot　fail　to　render　the　confessions　themselves　more　interesting。　If　a　man　〃whose　talk　is　of　oxen〃　should　become　an　opium…eater；　the　probability　is　that　（if　he　is　not　too　dull　to　dream　at　all）　he　will　dream　about　oxen；　whereas；　in　the　case　before　him；　the　reader　will　find　that　the　Opium…eater　boasteth　himself　to　be　a　philosopher；　and　accordingly；　that　the　phantasmagoria　of　HIS　dreams　（waking　or　sleeping；　day…dreams　or　night…dreams）　is　suitable　to　one　who　in　that　character


Humani　nihil　a　se　alienum　putat。


For　amongst　the　conditions　which　he　deems　indispensable　to　the　sustaining　of　any　claim　to　the　title　of　philosopher　is　not　merely　the　possession　of　a　superb　intellect　in　its　ANALYTIC　functions　（in　which　part　of　the　pretensions；　however；　England　can　for　some　generations　show　but　few　claimants；　at　least；　he　is　not　aware　of　any　known　candidate　for　this　honour　who　can　be　styled　emphatically　A　SUBTLE　THINKER；　with　the　exception　of　SAMUEL　TAYLOR　COLERIDGE；　and　in　a　narrower　department　of　thought　with　the　recent　illustrious　exception　｛2｝　of　DAVID　RICARDO）　but　also　on　such　a　constitution　of　the　MORAL　faculties　as　shall　give　him　an　inner　eye　and　power　of　intuition　for　the　vision　and　the　mysteries　of　our　human　nature：　THAT　constitution　of　faculties；　in　short；　which　（amongst　all　the　generations　of　men　that　from　the　beginning　of　time　have　deployed　into　life；　as　it　were；　upon　this　planet）　our　English　poets　have　possessed　in　the　highest　degree；　and　Scottish　professors　｛3｝　in　the　lowest。

I　have　often　been　asked　how　I　first　came　to　be　a　regular　opium…　eater；　and　have　suffered；　very　unjustly；　in　the　opinion　of　my　acquaintance　from　being　reputed　to　have　brought　upon　myself　all　the　sufferings　which　I　shall　have　to　record；　by　a　long　course　of　indulgence　in　this　practice　purely　for　the　sake　of　creating　an　artificial　state　of　pleasurable　excitement。　　This；　however；　is　a　misrepresentation　of　my　case。　　True　it　is　that　for　nearly　ten　years　I　did　occasionally　take　opium　for　the　sake　of　the　exquisite　pleasure　it　gave　me；　but　so　long　as　I　took　it　with　this　view　I　was　effectually　protected　from　all　material　bad　consequences　by　the　necessity　of　interposing　long　intervals　between　the　several　acts　of　indulgence；　in　order　to　renew　the　pleasurable　sensations。　　It　was　not　for　the　purpose　of　creating　pleasure；　but　of　mitigating　pain　in　the　severest　degree；　that　I　first　began　to　use　opium　as　an　article　of　daily　diet。　　In　the　twenty…eighth　year　of　my　age　a　most　painful　affection　of　the　stomach；　which　I　had　first　experienced　about　ten　years　before；　attacked　me　in　great　strength。　　This　affection　had　originally　been　caused　by　extremities　of　hunger；　suffered　in　my　boyish　days。　　During　the　season　of　hope　and　redundant　happiness　which　succeeded　（that　is；　from　eighteen　to　twenty…four）　it　had　slumbered；　for　the　three　following　years　it　had　revived　at　intervals；　and　now；　under　unfavourable　circumstances；　from　depression　of　spirits；　it　attacked　me　with　a　violence　that　yielded　to　no　remedies　but　opium。　　As　the　youthful　sufferings　which　first　produced　this　derangement　of　the　stomach　were　interesting　in　themselves；　and　in　the　circumstances　that　attended　them；　I　shall　here　briefly　retrace　them。

My　father　died　when　I　was　about　seven　years　old；　and　left　me　to　the　care　of　four　guardians。　　I　was　sent　to　various　schools；　great　and　small；　and　was　very　early　distinguished　for　my　classical　attainments；　especially　for　my　knowledge　of　Greek。　　At　thirteen　I　wrote　Greek　with　ease；　and　at　fifteen　my　command　of　that　language　was　so　great　that　I　not　only　composed　Greek　verses　in　lyric　metres；　but　could　converse　in　Greek　fluently　and　without　embarrassmentan　accomplishment　which　I　have　not　since　met　with　in　any　scholar　of　my　times；　and　which　in　my　case　was　owing　to　the　practice　of　daily　reading　off　the　newspapers　into　the　best　Greek　I　could　furnish　extempore；　for　the　necessity　of　ransacking　my　memory　and　invention　for　all　sorts　and　combinations　of　periphrastic　expressions　as　equivalents　for　modern　ideas；　images；　relations　of　things；　&c。；　gave　me　a　compass　of　diction　which　would　never　have　been　called　out　by　a　dull　translation　of　moral　essays；　&c。　　〃That　boy；〃　said　one　of　my　masters；　pointing　the　attention　of　a　stranger　to　me；　〃that　boy　could　harangue　an　Athenian　mob　better　than　you　and　I　could　address　an　English　one。〃　　He　who　honoured　me　with　this　eulogy　was　a　scholar；　〃and　a　ripe　and　a　good　one；〃　and　of　all　my　tutors　was　the　only　one　whom　I　loved　or　reverenced。　　Unfortunately　for　me　（and；　as　I　afterwards　learned；　to　this　worthy　man's　great　indignation）；　I　was　transferred　to　the　care；　first　of　a　blockhead；　who　was　in　a　perpetual　panic　lest　I　should　expose　his　ignorance；　and　finally　to　that　of　a　respectable　scholar　at　the　head　of　a　great　school　on　an　ancient　foundation。　　This　man　had　been　appointed　to　his　situation　byCollege；　Oxford；　and　was　a　sound；　well…built　scholar；　but　（like　most　men　whom　I　have　known　from　that　college）　coarse；　clumsy；　and　inelegant。　　A　miserable　contrast　he　presented；　in　my　eyes；　to　the　Etonian　brilliancy　of　my　favourite　master；　and　beside；　he　could　not　disguise　from　my　hourly　notice　the　poverty　and　meagreness　of　his　understanding。　　It　is　a　bad　thing　for　a　boy　to　be　and　to　know　himself　far　beyond　his　tutors；　whether　in　knowledge　or　in　power　of　mind。　　This　was　the　case；　so　far　as　regarded　knowledge　at　least；　not　with　myself　only；　for　the　two　boys；　who　jointly　with　myself　composed　the　first　form；　were　better　Grecians　than　the　head…master；　though　not　more　elegant　scholars；　nor　at　all　more　accustomed　to　sacrifice　to　the　Graces。　　When　I　first　entered　I　remember　that　we　read　Sophocles；　and　it　was　a　constant　matter　of　triumph　to　us；　the　learned　triumvirate　of　the　first　form；　to　see　our　〃Archididascalus〃　（as　he　loved　to　be　called）　conning　our　lessons　before　we　went　up；　and　laying　a　regular　train；　with　lexicon　and　grammar；　for　blowing　up　and　blasting　（as　it　were）　any　difficulties　he　found　in　the　choruses；　whilst　WE　never　condescended　to　open　our　books　until　the　moment　of　going　up；　and　were　generally　employed　in　writing　epigrams　upon　his　wig　or　some　such　important　matter。　　My　two　class…fellows　were　poor；　and　dependent　for　their　future　prospects　at　the　university　on　the　recommendation　of　the　head…master；　but　I；　who　had　a　small　patrimonial　property；　the　income　of　which　was　sufficient　to　support　me　at　college；　wished　to　be　sent　thither　immediately。　　I　made　earnest　representations　on　the　subject　to　my　guardians；　but　all　to　no　purpose。　　One；　who　was　more　reasonable　and　had　more　knowledge　of　the　world　than　the　rest；　lived　at　a　distance；　two　of　the　other　three　resigned　all　their　authority　into　the　hands　of　the　fourth；　and　this　fourth；　with　whom　I　had　to　negotiate；　was　a　worthy　man　in　his　way；　but　haughty；　obstinate；　and　intolerant　of　all　opposition　to　his　will。　　After　a　certain　number　of　letters　and　personal　interviews；　I　found　that　I　had　nothing　to　hope　for；　not　even　a　compromise　of　the　matter；　from　my　guardian。　　Unconditional　submission　was　what　he　demanded；　and　I　prepared　myself；　therefore；　for　other　measures。　Summer　was　now　coming　on　with　hasty　steps；　and　my　seventeenth　birthday　was　fast　approaching；　after　which　day　I　had　sworn　within　myself　that　I　would　no　longer　be　numbered　amongst　schoolboys。　　Money　being　what　I　chiefly　wanted；　I　wrote　to　a　wo