clear and bright; I am ready to leap for joy, as for an unwonted favour, when nothing happens me.  Let me tickle myself, I cannot force a poor smile from this wretched body of mine; I am only merry in conceit and in dreaming, by artifice to divert the melancholy of age; but, in faith, it requires another remedy than a dream.  A weak contest of art against nature.  ’Tis great folly to lengthen and anticipate human incommodities, as every one does; I had rather be a less while old than be old before I am really so.’  I seize on even the least occasions of pleasure I can meet.  I know very well, by hearsay, several sorts of prudent pleasures, effectually so, and glorious to boot; but opinion has not power enough over me to give me an appetite to them.  I covet not so much to have them magnanimous, magnificent, and pompous, as I do to have them sweet, facile, and ready: 

               “A natura discedimus; populo nos damus,
               nullius rei bono auctori.”

     ["We depart from nature and give ourselves to the people, who
     understand nothing.”—­Seneca, Ep., 99.]

My philosophy is in action, in natural and present practice, very little in fancy:  what if I should take pleasure in playing at cob-nut or to whip a top!

“Non ponebat enim rumores ante salutem.”

     ["He did not sacrifice his health even to rumours.”  Ennius, apud
     Cicero, De Offic., i. 24]

Pleasure is a quality of very little ambition; it thinks itself rich enough of itself without any addition of repute; and is best pleased where most retired.  A young man should be whipped who pretends to a taste in wine and sauces; there was nothing which, at that age, I less valued or knew:  now I begin to learn; I am very much ashamed on’t; but what should I do?  I am more ashamed and vexed at the occasions that put me upon’t.  ’Tis for us to dote and trifle away the time, and for young men to stand upon their reputation and nice punctilios; they are going towards the world and the world’s opinion; we are retiring from it: 

     “Sibi arma, sibi equos, sibi hastas, sibi clavam, sibi pilam,
     sibi natationes, et cursus habeant:  nobis senibus, ex lusionibus
     multis, talos relinquant et tesseras;”

     ["Let them reserve to themselves arms, horses, spears, clubs,
     tennis, swimming, and races; and of all the sports leave to us old
     men cards and dice.”—­Cicero, De Senec., c. 16.]

the laws themselves send us home.  I can do no less in favour of this wretched condition into which my age has thrown me than furnish it with toys to play withal, as they do children; and, in truth, we become such.  Both wisdom and folly will have enough to do to support and relieve me by alternate services in this calamity of age: 

“Misce stultitiam consiliis brevem.”

          ["Mingle with counsels a brief interval of folly.” 
          —­Horace, Od., iv. 12, 27.]