| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Alcibiades II by Platonic Imitator: was bad for him to know so many things, he must have been a good-for-
nothing, unless the argument has played us false.
ALCIBIADES: But I do not think that it has, Socrates: at least, if the
argument is fallacious, it would be difficult for me to find another which
I could trust.
SOCRATES: And you are right in thinking so.
ALCIBIADES: Well, that is my opinion.
SOCRATES: But tell me, by Heaven:--you must see now the nature and
greatness of the difficulty in which you, like others, have your part. For
you change about in all directions, and never come to rest anywhere: what
you once most strongly inclined to suppose, you put aside again and quite
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Nada the Lily by H. Rider Haggard: "There is a man among the People of the Axe who has a jade and a scold
for a wife," said Umslopogaas, springing up. "Begone, Zinita!--and
know this, that if I hear you snarl such words of him who is my
father, you shall go further than your own hut, for I will put you
away and drive you from my kraal. I have suffered you too long."
"I go," said Zinita. "Oh! I am well served! I made you chief, and now
you threaten to put me away."
"My own hands made me chief," said Umslopogaas, and, springing up, he
thrust her from the hut.
"It is a poor thing to be wedded to such a woman, my father," he said
presently.
Nada the Lily |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Cratylus by Plato: there are the cross influences of meaning and sound, of logic and grammar,
of differing analogies, of words and the inflexions of words, which often
come into conflict with each other. The grammarian, if he were to form new
words, would make them all of the same pattern according to what he
conceives to be the rule, that is, the more common usage of language. The
subtlety of nature goes far beyond art, and it is complicated by
irregularity, so that often we can hardly say that there is a right or
wrong in the formation of words. For almost any formation which is not at
variance with the first principles of language is possible and may be
defended.
The imperfection of language is really due to the formation and correlation
|
