The glass of life is the best book, and one's natural wit the only diamond that can write legibly on it." Such were my uncle's parting admonitions; it must be confessed that, coupled with the dramatic gifts alluded to, they were likely to be of infinite service to the _debutant_ for academical honours.

In fact, Sir William Devereux was deeply impregnated with the notion of his time,--that ability and inspiration were the same thing, and that, unless you were thoroughly idle, you could not be thoroughly a genius.
I verily believe that he thought wisdom got its gems, as Abu Zeid al Hassan* declares some Chinese philosophers thought oysters got their pearls, namely, _by gaping_! * In his Commentary on the account of China by two Travellers..