Headlong Hall

Sk

essed himself, on the farthing rushlight of the rascal's life, pushed over the chair of Marmaduke Milestone, Esquire, who, catching for support at the first thing that came in his way, which happened unluckily to be the corner of the table-cloth, drew it instantaneously with him to the floor, involving plates, cups and saucers, in one promiscuous ruin. But, as the principal matériel of the breakfast apparatus was on the little butler's side-table, the confusion occasione

Cadwallader, he advanced to seat himself at the table by the side of the beautiful Cephalis, first placing the skull in a corner, out of the reach of M

an egg as he spoke; "no less than the gen

" vociferated Mr Cranium;

h gave birth to various remarks from the other individuals of the party:

for a large family of our remote posterity. The mind, too, participates in the contraction of the body. Poets and philosophers of all ages and nations have lamented this too visible process of physical and moral deterioration. 'The sons of little men', says Ossian. 'Οιοι νυν βροτοι εισιν,' says Homer: 'such men as live in these degenerate days.' 'All things,' says Virgil, 'have a retrocessive tendency, and grow worse and worse by the inevitable doom of fate.'[10.2] 'We live in the ninth age,' says Juvenal, 'an age worse than the age of iron; nature has no metal sufficiently pernicious to give a denomination to its wickedness.'[1

produce the very evils it appears to lament. What could be its effect, but to check the ardour of investigation, to extinguish the zeal of philanthropy, to freeze the current of enterprisi

h produce it; that there is no hope whatever of ameliorating his condition but in a total and radical change of the whole scheme of human life, and that the advocates of his indefinite perfectibility are in rea

re many things that may, and theref

said Mr Escot, "in which ev

aid Mr Gall: "there is, in fact, no such

ss Philomela Poppyseed

" said Sir Pat

said Mr Ma

" said Mr N

brain's park," said Marm

," said M

," said Mr

" said Squi

es," said

ctor Gaster, turning down an empty egg-she