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1、ENGLISHTRAITSbyRalphWaldoEmersonChapterIFirstVisittoEnglandIhavebeentwiceinEngland.In1833,onmyreturnfromashorttourinSicily,Italy,andFrance,IcrossedfromBoulogne,andlandedinLondonattheTowerstairs.ItwasadarkSundaymorning;therewerefewpeopleinthestreets;andIrememberthepleasureof
2、thatfirstwalkonEnglishground,withmycompanion,anAmericanartist,fromtheTowerupthroughCheapsideandtheStrand,toahouseinRussellSquare,whitherwehadbeenrecommendedtogoodchambers.Forthefirsttimeformanymonthswewereforcedtocheckthesaucyhabitoftravellers'criticism,aswecouldnolongerspe
3、akaloudinthestreetswithoutbeingunderstood.Theshop-signsspokeourlanguage;ourcountrynameswereonthedoor-plates;andthepublicandprivatebuildingsworeamorenativeandwontedfront.Likemostyoungmenatthattime,IwasmuchindebtedtothemenofEdinburgh,andoftheEdinburghReview,--toJeffrey,Mackin
4、tosh,Hallam,andtoScott,Playfair,andDeQuincey;andmynarrowanddesultoryreadinghadinspiredthewishtoseethefacesofthreeorfourwriters,--Coleridge,Wordsworth,Landor,DeQuincey,andthelatestandstrongestcontributortothecriticaljournals,Carlyle;andIsupposeifIhadsiftedthereasonsthatledme
5、toEurope,whenIwasillandwasadvisedtotravel,itwasmainlytheattractionofthesepersons.IfGoethehadbeenstillliving,ImighthavewanderedintoGermanyalso.BesidesthoseIhavenamed,(forScottwasdead,)therewasnotinBritainthemanlivingwhomIcaredtobehold,unlessitweretheDukeofWellington,whomIaft
6、erwardssawatWestminsterAbbey,atthefuneralofWilberforce.Theyoungscholarfanciesithappinessenoughtolivewithpeoplewhocangiveaninsidetotheworld;withoutreflectingthattheyareprisoners,too,oftheirownthought,andcannotapplythemselvestoyours.Theconditionsofliterarysuccessarealmostdest
7、ructiveofthebestsocialpower,astheydonotleavethatfroliclibertywhichonlycanencounteracompaniononthebestterms.Itisprobableyouleftsomeobscurecomradeatatavern,orinthefarms,withrightmother-wit,andequalitytolife,whenyoucrossedseaandlandtoplaybo-peepwithcelebratedscribes.Ihave,howe
8、ver,foundwriterssuperiortotheirbooks,andIclingtomyfirstbelief,thatastrongheadwilld