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The Works of Samuel Johnson (4); The Adventurer and Idler
The Works of Samuel Johnson The Adventurer and Idler - 4 Author:Samuel Johnson Volume: 4 General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1825 Original Publisher: Talboys and Wheeler Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.co... more »m where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: N. 58. SATURDAY, MAY 25, 1753. Damnant quod non intellignnt. Cic. They condemn what they do not understand. Euripides, having presented Socrates with the writings of Heraclitusrt, a philosopher famed for involution and obscurity, inquired afterwards his opinion of their merit. " What I understand," said Socrates, " I find to be excellent; and, therefore, believe that to be of equal value which I cannot understand." The reflection of every man who reads this passage will suggest to him the difference between the practice of Socrates, and that of modern criticks: Socrates, who had, by long observation upon himself and others, discovered the weakness of the strongest, and the dimness of the most enlightened intellect, was afraid to decide hastily in his own favour, or to conclude that an author had written without meaning, because he could not immediately catch his ideas; he knew that the faults of books are often more justly imputable to the reader, who sometimes wants attention, and sometimes penetration; whose understanding is often obstructed by prejudice, and often dissipated by remissness; who comes sometimes to a new study, unfurnished with knowledge previously necessary; and finds difficulties insuperable, for want of ardour sufficient to encounter them. Obscurity and clearness are relative terms: to some readers scarce any book is easy, to others not many are difficult: and surely they, whom neither any exuberantpraise bestowed by others, nor any eminent conquests over stubborn problems, have entitled to exalt themselves above the common orde...« less