Virginia illustrated : containing a visit to the Virginian Canaan, and the adventures of Porte Crayon and his cousins . table, which was indeed a pleasant pic-ture in its way. At this point in the story the editor of these papers laid downhis pen, and gravely remonstrated with the narrator on the fre-quent recurrence of these extravagant and detailed accounts ofbreakfasts, dinners, and suppers. It clogs the narrative, quothhe; it detracts from the dignity of the subject, and gives a com-monplace air to the adventures. Porte Crayon responded with heat: I despise your squeam-ish, transcendental,
Virginia illustrated : containing a visit to the Virginian Canaan, and the adventures of Porte Crayon and his cousins . table, which was indeed a pleasant pic-ture in its way. At this point in the story the editor of these papers laid downhis pen, and gravely remonstrated with the narrator on the fre-quent recurrence of these extravagant and detailed accounts ofbreakfasts, dinners, and suppers. It clogs the narrative, quothhe; it detracts from the dignity of the subject, and gives a com-monplace air to the adventures. Porte Crayon responded with heat: I despise your squeam-ish, transcendental, metaphysical dyspectic who cant eat. I haveno respect for sentimentality or sick people. There must be some-thing radically wrong either in the morale qt physique of a personwho does not enjoy a good meal, and whose mouth dont water ata good description. Is Walter Scott deficient in interest? andare not his best books juicy with sirloins and venison pasties ?Does the eating scene between Coeur de Lion and Friar Tuck clogthe narrative? Where will you find a more refreshing picture 158 PORTE CRAYON AND HIS HUUYHNHNM REPAST. than that of the rustic repast served to the itinerant deities by oldBaucis and Philemon ? Is Homer wanting in dignity ? Are nothis feasts of gods and heroes, his boilings of mighty chines andbarbecuing of fat oxen the very essence, or, more properly, thesauce of his Avorld-famous epic? Ah! continued Porte, in a soft-ened tone, none but a mountain wanderer knows how fondly memory will cling to these dailyrecurring incidents of travel. Allyour beatification about scenery,sunrises, et cetera, serves verywell to fill up space between mydrawings, and the scraps of Lat-in and French that you get outof school-books to bamboozle thepublic into a belief that you arelearned; but, depend upon it,nothing enriches a narrative likethose touches of nature thatwould make a horse neigh withdelight if he could only read. Reflecting, probably, that in his zeal he mig
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