Mr. Bewley was truly a philosopher, according to the simplest, though highest, acceptation of that word; for his love of wisdom was of that unsophisticated species, that regards learning, science, and knowledge, with whatever delight they may be pursued abstractedly, to be wholly subservient4, collectively, to the duties and practice of benevolence5.
To this nobleness of soul, which made the basis of his character, he superadded a fund of wit equally rare, equally extraordinary: it was a wit that sparkled from the vivid tints6 of an imagination as pure as it was bright; untarnished by malice7, uninfluenced by spleen, uninstigated by satire8. It was playful, original, eccentric: but the depth with which it could have cut, and slashed9, and pierced around him, would never have been even surmised10, from the urbanity with which he forbore making
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that missile use of its power, had he not frequently darted11 out its keenest edge in ridicule12 against himself.
And not alone in this personal severity did he resemble the self-unsparing Scarron; his outside, though not deformed13, was peculiarly unfortunate; and his eyes, though announcing, upon examination, something of his mind, were ill-shaped, and ill set in his head, and singularly small; and no other feature parried this local disproportion; for his mouth, and his under-jaw, which commonly hung open, were displeasing14 to behold15.
The first sight, however, which of so many is the best, was of Mr. Bewley, not only the worst, but the only bad; for no sooner, in the most squeamish, was the revolted eye turned away, than the attracted ear, even of the most fastidious, brought it back, to listen to genuine instruction conveyed through unexpected pleasantry.
This original and high character, was that of an obscure surgeon of Massingham, a small town in the neighbourhood of Haughton Hall. He had been brought up with no advantages, but what laborious16 toil17 had worked out of native abilities; and he only subsisted18 by the ordinary process of
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rigidly19 following up the multifarious calls to which, in its provincial20 practice, his widely diversified21 profession is amenable22.
Yet not wholly in “the desert air,” were his talents doomed23 to be wasted: they were no sooner spoken of at Haughton Hall, than the gates of that superb mansion24 were spontaneously flung open, and its Chief proved at once, and permanently25 remained, his noble patron and kind friend.
点击收听单词发音
1 briefly | |
adv.简单地,简短地 | |
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2 glided | |
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔 | |
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3 magnetism | |
n.磁性,吸引力,磁学 | |
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4 subservient | |
adj.卑屈的,阿谀的 | |
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5 benevolence | |
n.慈悲,捐助 | |
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6 tints | |
色彩( tint的名词复数 ); 带白的颜色; (淡色)染发剂; 痕迹 | |
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7 malice | |
n.恶意,怨恨,蓄意;[律]预谋 | |
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8 satire | |
n.讽刺,讽刺文学,讽刺作品 | |
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9 slashed | |
v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 );鞭打;割破;削减 | |
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10 surmised | |
v.臆测,推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 );揣测;猜想 | |
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11 darted | |
v.投掷,投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 );向前冲,飞奔 | |
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12 ridicule | |
v.讥讽,挖苦;n.嘲弄 | |
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13 deformed | |
adj.畸形的;变形的;丑的,破相了的 | |
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14 displeasing | |
不愉快的,令人发火的 | |
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15 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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16 laborious | |
adj.吃力的,努力的,不流畅 | |
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17 toil | |
vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 | |
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18 subsisted | |
v.(靠很少的钱或食物)维持生活,生存下去( subsist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19 rigidly | |
adv.刻板地,僵化地 | |
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20 provincial | |
adj.省的,地方的;n.外省人,乡下人 | |
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21 diversified | |
adj.多样化的,多种经营的v.使多样化,多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 );进入新的商业领域 | |
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22 amenable | |
adj.经得起检验的;顺从的;对负有义务的 | |
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23 doomed | |
命定的 | |
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24 mansion | |
n.大厦,大楼;宅第 | |
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25 permanently | |
adv.永恒地,永久地,固定不变地 | |
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