The illusions which hamper life have been so clearly and thoroughly analyzed by other thinkers, whose conclusions will be found to constitute the groundwork of the subsequent part of this monograph, that it will be unnecessary at this stage to examine any of Leopardi's theories on this subject, save such, perhaps, as may seem to contain original views. He had, as has been intimated, a thorough contempt for life: "It is," he said, "fit but to be despised." _Nostra vita a che val, sola a spregiarla._ He was, in consequence, well equipped to combat the illusion which leads so many to imagine that were their circumstances different, they would then be thoroughly content. This idea is presented with vivacious ingenuity in a dialogue between a man peddling calendars and a passer-by. It runs somewhat as follows:-- "Calendars! New calendars!" "For the coming year?" "Yes, sir." "Do you think the year will be a good one?" "Yes, indeed, sir." "As good as last year?" "Better, sir,--better." "As year before last?" "Much better, sir." "But wouldn't you care to have the next year like any of the past years?" "No, sir, I would not." "For how long have you been selling calendars?" "Nearly twenty years, sir." "Well, which of these twenty years would you wish to have like the coming one?" "I? I really don't know, sir." "Can't you remember any one year that seemed particularly attractive?" "I cannot, indeed, I cannot." "And yet life is very pleasant, isn't it?" "Oh, yes, sir, we all know that." "Would you not be glad to live these twenty years over again?" "God forbid, sir." "But supposing you had to live your life over again?" "I would not do it." "But what life would you care to live? mine, for instance, or that of a prince, or of some other person?" "Ah, sir, what a question!" "And yet, do you not see that I, or the prince, or any one else, would answer precisely as you do, and that no one would consent to live his life over again?" "Yes, sir, I suppose so." "Am I to understand, then, that you would not live your life over again?" "No, sir, truly, I would not." "What life would you care for, then?" "I would like, without any other condition, such a life as God might be pleased to give me." "In other words, one which would be happy-go-lucky, and of which you would know no more than you do of the coming year." "Exactly."