These six critical benches, which might edit six different literary periodicals, are now thrown over each other, and form _one_.--Frankly, however, as I come out against this jumbling together of learned (1) advertisements, (2) reviews, (3) extracts, (4) verbal and (5) real criticisms, and (6) artistic judgments, still I am ready and glad to admit that the critical _Fauna_ and _Flora_ of the first _five_ tables root out, perhaps, full as many shoots of weeds as they put forth themselves from their own germs; and I therefore appeal to a private letter of my own, which is beyond the suspicion of flattery, and wherein I associate it with a toadstool, which, although it produces, itself, upon an affusion (in this case, of ink), whole hosts of insects, nevertheless eradicates the flies.--But as among the reviewers there are also authors, like myself; as among the Portuguese inquisitors there are Jews; and, in fact, as I should want to talk whole intercalary years on the subject,--why talk a whole intercalary day? S. Stripes.--"He that knoweth his Lord's will, and doeth it not, shall receive double stripes."--Who, then, gets the single ones? Not he, surely, who knows not the will and does it not?--It follows, therefore, that greater knowledge, not _aggravates_, but itself _creates_, moral guilt; for in so far as I absolutely do not discern a moral obligation, my offence against it is surely not less, but none at all. I will be my own Academy of Sciences, and assign to myself the following prize-question, which I will myself answer in a prize essay: "Since only such actions are virtuous as proceed from love for goodness, it follows that only those can be sinful which proceed from mere love of evil, and reference to self-interest must lessen the degree of a sin, as well as that of a virtue. But, on the other hand, what could there be but self-interest in our nature, which should impel us to what is bad? And if evil were done from a pure propensity to evil, then there would be a second, although opposite, autonomy[235] of the will." T. Trouble, Tribulation.--Now, as I write these distressful sounds, which announce to me that Nature makes only _thorn-hedges_, but men _crowns of thorns_, all pleasure in lashing about me with the thorns of satire dies away, and I would rather draw some thorns out of your hands or feet. 21. DOG-POST-DAY. Victor's Professional Visits.--Concerning Houses full of Daughters.--The Two Fools.--The Carrousel.