Dr. Gall would doubtless require the naked head to be submitted to him
for judgement. Contrariwise I opine,—and all the Ladies will agree
with me in this opinion,—that the head ought neither to be stript, nor
even examined in undress, but that it should be taken with all its
accompaniments, when the owner has made the best of it, the
accompaniments being not unfrequently more indicative than the
features themselves. Long ago the question whether a man is most like
himself drest or undrest, was propounded to the British Apollo; and it
was answered by the Oracle that a man of God Almighty's making is most
like himself when undrest; but a man of a tailor's, periwig-maker's,
and sempstress's making, when drest. The Oracle answered rightly; for
no man can select his own eyes, nose, or mouth,—but his wig and his
whiskers are of his own chusing. And to use an illustrious instance,
how much of character is there in that awful wig which alway in its
box accompanies Dr. Parr upon his visits of ceremony, that it may be
put on in the hall, with all its feathery honours thick upon it, not a
curl deranged, a hair flattened, or a particle of powder wasted on the
way!
But if we would form a judgement of the interior of that portentous
head which is thus formidably obumbrated, how could it be done so well
as by beholding the Doctor among his books, and there seeing the food
upon which his terrific intellect is fed. There we should see the
accents, quantities, dialects, digammas, and other such small gear as
in these days constitute the complete armour of a perfect scholar; and
by thus discovering what goes into the head we might form a fair
estimate of what was likely to come out of it. This is a truth which,
with many others of equal importance, will be beautifully elucidated
in this nonpareil history. For Daniel Dove the Father had a collection
of books; they were not so numerous as those of his contemporary
Harley, famous for his library, and infamous for the Peace of Utrecht;
but he was perfectly conversant with all their contents, which is more
than could be said of the Earl of Oxford.
Reader whether thou art man, woman or child, thou art doubtless
acquainted with the doctrine of association as inculcated by the great
Mr. Locke and his disciples. But never hast thou seen that doctrine so
richly and so entirely exemplified as in this great history, the
association of ideas being, in oriental phrase, the silken thread upon
which its pearls are strung. And never wilt thou see it so clearly and
delightfully illustrated, not even if the ingenious Mr. John Jones
should one day give to the world the whole twelve volumes in which he
has proved the authenticity of the Gospel History, by bringing the
narratives of the Four Evangelists to the test of Mr. Locke's
metaphysics.
“Desultoriness,” says Mr. Danby, “may often be the mark of a full
head; connection must proceed from a thoughtful one.”
CHAPTER VI. P. I.
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