| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from The Wrecker by Stevenson & Osbourne: circumstance the more agreeable as I was a stranger in a city
singularly picturesque. From what I had once called myself,
The Amateur Parisian, I grew (or declined) into a waterside
prowler, a lingerer on wharves, a frequenter of shy
neighbourhoods, a scraper of acquaintance with eccentric
characters. I visited Chinese and Mexican gambling-hells,
German secret societies, sailors' boarding-houses, and "dives"
of every complexion of the disreputable and dangerous. I have
seen greasy Mexican hands pinned to the table with a knife for
cheating, seamen (when blood-money ran high) knocked down
upon the public street and carried insensible on board short-
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Eryxias by Platonic Imitator: from the Symposium is rather clumsily introduced, and two somewhat
hackneyed quotations (Symp., Gorg.) recur. The reference to the death of
Archelaus as having occurred 'quite lately' is only a fiction, probably
suggested by the Gorgias, where the story of Archelaus is told, and a
similar phrase occurs;--ta gar echthes kai proen gegonota tauta, k.t.l.
There are several passages which are either corrupt or extremely ill-
expressed. But there is a modern interest in the subject of the dialogue;
and it is a good example of a short spurious work, which may be attributed
to the second or third century before Christ.
ERYXIAS
by
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Scaramouche by Rafael Sabatini: free to all."
The sergeant laughed unpleasantly, and came on, his troop following.
"There is," said a voice at Pantaloon's elbow, "no such thing as
communal land in the proper sense in all M. de La Tour d'Azyr's vast
domain. This is a terre censive, and his bailiffs collect his dues
from all who send their beasts to graze here."
Pantaloon turned to behold at his side Andre-Louis in his
shirt-sleeves, and without a neckcloth, the towel still trailing
over his left shoulder, a comb in his hand, his hair half dressed.
"God of God!" swore Pantaloon. "But it is an ogre, this Marquis
de La Tour d'Azyr!"
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