XIII
вАЬMake them like unto a wheel,вАЭ is a bitter sarcasm, as all the learned know, against the grand tour, and that restless spirit for making it, which David prophetically foresaw would haunt the children of men in the latter days; and therefore, as thinketh the great bishop Hall, вАЩtis one of the severest imprecations which David ever utterвАЩd against the enemies of the LordвБ†вАФand, as if he had said, вАЬI wish them no worse luck than always to be rolling aboutвАЭвБ†вАФSo much motion, continues he (for he was very corpulent)вБ†вАФis so much unquietness; and so much of rest, by the same analogy, is so much of heaven.
Now, I (being very thin) think differently; and that so much of motion, is so much of life, and so much of joyвБ†вЄЇвБ†and that to stand still, or get on but slowly, is death and the devilвБ†вЄЇвБ†
Hollo! Ho!вБ†вЄЇвБ†the whole worldвАЩs asleep!вБ†вЄЇвБ†bring out the horsesвБ†вЄЇвБ†grease the wheelsвБ†вАФtie on the mailвБ†вЄЇвБ†and drive a nail into that mouldingвБ†вЄЇвБ†IвАЩll not lose a momentвБ†вЄЇвБ†
Now the wheel we are talking of, and whereinto (but not whereunto, for that would make an IxionвАЩs wheel of it) he curseth his enemies, according to the bishopвАЩs habit of body, should certainly be a post-chaise wheel, whether they were set up in Palestine at that time or notвБ†вЄЇвБ†and my wheel, for the contrary reasons, must as certainly be a cartwheel groaning round its revolution once in an age; and of which sort, were I to turn commentator, I should make no scruple to affirm, they had great store in that hilly country.
I love the Pythagoreans (much more than ever I dare tell my dear Jenny) for their вАЬѕЗѕЙѕБќєѕГќЉбљЄќљ бЉАѕАбљЄ ѕДќњбњ¶ ќ£ѕОќЉќ±ѕДќњѕВ, ќµбЉ∞ѕВ ѕДбљЄ ќЇќ±ќїбњґѕВ ѕЖќєќїќњѕГќњѕЖќµбњЦќљвАЭвБ†вЄЇ[their] вАЬgetting out of the body, in order to think well.вАЭ No man thinks right, whilst he is in it; blinded as he must be, with his congenial humours, and drawn differently aside, as the bishop and myself have been, with too lax or too tense a fibreвБ†вЄЇвБ†Reason is, half of it, Sense; and the measure of heaven itself is but the measure of our present appetites and concoctionsвБ†вЄЇвБ†
вЄЇвБ†But which of the two, in the present case, do you think to be mostly in the wrong?
You, certainly: quoth she, to disturb a whole family so early.