Set Not Thy Foot On Graves

New York, April 29th.--Last night I came upon this
passage in my old author: "Friend, take it sadly home to thee--Age and
Youthe are strangers still. Youthe, being ignorant of the wisdome of
Age, which is Experience, but wise with its own wisdome, which is of
the unshackeled Soule, or Intuition, is great in Enterprise, but slack
in Achievement. Holding itself equal to all attempts and conditions,
and to be heir, not of its own spanne of yeares and compasse of
Faculties only, but of all time and all Human Nature--such, I saye,
being its illusion (if, indeede, it be illusion, and not in some sorte
a Truth), it still underrateth the value of Opportunitie, and, in the
vain beleefe that the City of its Expectation is paved with Golde and
walled with Precious Stones, letteth slip betwixt its fingers those
diamondes and treasures which ironical Fate offereth it.... But see
nowe what the case is when this youthe becometh in yeares. For nowe he
can nowise understand what defecte of Judgmente (or effecte of
insanitie rather) did leade him so to despise and, as it were, reject
those Giftes and golden chaunces which come but once to mortal men.
Experience (that saturnine Pedagogue) hath taught him what manner of
man he is, and that, farre from enjoying that Deceptive Seeminge or
mirage of Freedome which would persuade him that he may run hither and
thither as the whim prompteth over the face of the Earthe--yea, take
the wings of the morninge and winnowe his aerie way to the Pleiadies--
he must e'en plod heavilie and with paine along that single and narrowe
Path whereto the limitations of his personal nature and profession
confine him--happy if he arrive with muche diligence and faire credit
at the ende thereof, and falle not ignobly by the way. Neverthelesse--
for so great is the infatuation of man, who, although he acquireth all
other knowledge, yet arriveth not at the knowledge of Himself--if to
the Sage of Experience he proffered once again the gauds and prizes of
youthe, which he hath ever since regretted and longed for--what doeth
he in his wisdome? Verilie, so longe as the matter remaineth _in
nubibis_, as the Latins say, or in the Region of the Imagination, as
oure speeche hath it, he will beleeve, yea, take his oathe, that he
still is master of all those capacities and energies whiche, in his
youthe, would have prompted and enabled him to profit by this desired
occurrence. Yet shall it appeare (if the thinge be brought still
further to the teste, and, from an Imagination or Dreame, become an
actual Realitie), that he will shrinke from and decline that which he
did erste so ardently sigh for and covet. And the reason of this is as
follows, to-wit: That Habit or Custome hath brought him more to love
and affect