صفحة 828 من 1391

Suppose, I answered, that a just and good man in the course of a

narration comes on some saying or action of another good man,-I

should imagine that he will like to personate him, and will not

be ashamed of this sort of imitation: he will be most ready to

play the part of the good man when he is acting firmly and

wisely; in a less degree when he is overtaken by illness or love

or drink, or has met with any other disaster. But when he comes

to a character which is unworthy of him, he will not make a study

of that; he will disdain such a person, and will assume his

likeness, if at all, for a moment only when he is performing some

good action; at other times he will be ashamed to play a part

which he has never practised, nor will he like to fashion and

frame himself after the baser models; he feels the employment of

such an art, unless in jest, to be beneath him, and his mind

revolts at it.

So I should expect, he replied.