Of this visit, which took place immediately after one that had been fatiguingly irksome from stately ceremony, he speaks, in his chronological3 rhymes, in the following manner.
To Bewley retiring, in peace and in quiet,
Where our[44] welcome was hearty4, and simple our diet;
Where reason and science all jargon5 disdain’d,
And humour and wit with philosophy reign’d—
[Pg 266]
Not a muse6 but was ready to answer his call;
By the virtues7 all cherish’d, the great and the small.
There Clio I court, to reveal every mystery
Of musical lore8, with its practice and history.
Mr. Bewley, now, was the principal writer for scientific articles in the Monthly Review, under the editorship of Mr. Griffith. He was, also, in close literary connexion with Dr. Priestley, Mr. Reid, and Padre Beccaria; with whom to correspond he had latterly dedicated9 some weeks exclusively to the study of Italian, that he might answer the letters of that celebrated10 man in his own language.
In company with this learned and dear friend, Dr. Burney afterwards passed a week at Haughton Hall, with the Earl of Orford, who invariably received him with cordial pleasure; and who had the manly11 understanding, combined with the classical taste, always to welcome with marked distinction the erudite philosopher of Massingham; though that obscure philosopher was simply, in his profession, a poor and hard-working country surgeon; and though, in his habits, partly from frugal12 necessity, and partly from negligent13 indifference14, he was the man the most miserably15 and meanly accoutred,
[Pg 267]
and withal the most slovenly16, of any who had ever found his way into high society.
Lord Orford, with almost unexampled liberality, was decidedly blind to all these exterior17 imperfections; and only clear-sighted, for this gifted man of mind, to the genius that, at times, in the arch meaning of his smile, sparkled knowledge from his eye, with an intelligent expression that brightened into agreeability his whole queer face. And to call into play those rugged18 features, beneath which lurked19 the deepest information, and the most enlightened powers of entertainment, was the pleasure of the noble host; a distinction which saved this unknown and humble20 country practitioner21 from the stares, or the ridicule22, of all new-arrived guests; though secretly, no doubt, they marvelled23 enough who he could be; and still more how he came there.
点击收听单词发音
1 sojourn | |
v./n.旅居,寄居;逗留 | |
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2 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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3 chronological | |
adj.按年月顺序排列的,年代学的 | |
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4 hearty | |
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的 | |
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5 jargon | |
n.术语,行话 | |
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6 muse | |
n.缪斯(希腊神话中的女神),创作灵感 | |
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7 virtues | |
美德( virtue的名词复数 ); 德行; 优点; 长处 | |
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8 lore | |
n.传说;学问,经验,知识 | |
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9 dedicated | |
adj.一心一意的;献身的;热诚的 | |
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10 celebrated | |
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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11 manly | |
adj.有男子气概的;adv.男子般地,果断地 | |
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12 frugal | |
adj.节俭的,节约的,少量的,微量的 | |
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13 negligent | |
adj.疏忽的;玩忽的;粗心大意的 | |
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14 indifference | |
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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15 miserably | |
adv.痛苦地;悲惨地;糟糕地;极度地 | |
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16 slovenly | |
adj.懒散的,不整齐的,邋遢的 | |
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17 exterior | |
adj.外部的,外在的;表面的 | |
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18 rugged | |
adj.高低不平的,粗糙的,粗壮的,强健的 | |
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19 lurked | |
vi.潜伏,埋伏(lurk的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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20 humble | |
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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21 practitioner | |
n.实践者,从事者;(医生或律师等)开业者 | |
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22 ridicule | |
v.讥讽,挖苦;n.嘲弄 | |
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23 marvelled | |
v.惊奇,对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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