“La bontà infinita ha sì gran braccia,
Che prende ciò che si rivolve a lei.”[416]
As I retrace here, on paper, the story of my failures, a sentence of Balzac comes into my mind: “Il vous arrivera souvent d’être utile aux autres, de leur rendre service, et vous en serez pen récompensé”; mais n’imitez pas ceux qui se plaignent des hommes et se vantent de ne trouver que des ingrats. N’est-ce pas se mettre sur un piédestal? puis n’est-il pas un peu niais d’avouer son peu de connaissance du monde?”[417]
And then Bunyan said in his last sermon (1692):—“Dost thou see a soul that has had the image of God in him? Love him: love him: say, This man must go to heaven some day. Do good to one another, and if any wrong you, pray to God to right you, and love the brotherhood.”
And there is a line of Tasso which comes back to me in all times of disappointment—
“Brama assai—poco spera—nulla chiede.”
END OF VOL. V.
Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson & Co
Edinburgh and London
ERRATUM
Page 405, for “Shackborough” read “Shuckborough.”
“Story of my Life.”—End of Vol. V.