Page:Adams - A Child of the Age.djvu/69

57 One day at the end of second lesson Craven came upon a piece of Italian in one of his books of reference, and could not translate it all. He half-smilingly asked if any of us knew Italian? No one did. But I recalled some words of mine to Rayne, and determined that I would learn Italian. After second lesson, then, I went down to the school bookseller, and bought of him a little Italian dictionary and grammar. The man knew nothing of Italian literature, nor did I: I could not even remember any of the names Rayne had quoted, except Dante, Petrarca and Boccaccio. But all at once I thought of Macaulay's Essay on Machiavelli and of some words therein, and asked the man if he had a Machiavelli. After some search he found a little red-paper covered edition of the Principe. I said that would do, and bought it.

I took it up to the school with me and sat at it for the remaining half-hour before dinner. Puzzled out six lines and a half, and came up to wash my hands for dinner, pleased. And after that I gave an hour per day to Italian, at first only to learning the grammar, but, up to the irregular verbs mastered, turned at last joyfully to my book, and found it fairly easy and extremely interesting. It set me about thinking somewhat in this fashion: 'Most things are this or that, because they are made this or that, that is to say, there are certain laws by observing which you can bring about certain results. It is surprising that the world, which I had somehow or other always supposed to be one great witness to the justice of God, seems to be after all rather more like a great stage on which the drama of Might over Right is perpetually being played. Now does pure Right ever come off best? that is, does pure Right ever win by its own unadulterated purity? I rather doubt it. For, surely, when Right is crowned victor, there are certain laws which, having been observed, have brought this about, and consequently Wrong, if it only knows how to observe these laws, is crowned victor also. Honesty is the best policy: rogues can be honest.'

But in a little came a certain disgust with the'whole matter, and I determined not to think about it any