I. PRIOR OF SCIICNCK

II. ROMAN RENAISSANCE 57

§ 34. It is sometimes amusing to watch the naive andchildish way in which this vanity is shown. For instance,when perspective was first invented, the world thought it amighty discovery, and the greatest men it had in it wereas proud of knowing that retiring lines converge, as if allthe wisdom of Solomon had been compressed into a vanish-ing point. And, accordingly, it became nearly impossiblefor any one to paint a Nativity, but he must turn thestable and manger into a Corinthian arcade, in order toshow his knowledge of perspective ; and half the best archi-tecture of the time, instead of being adorned with historicalsculpture, as of old, was set forth with bas-relief of minorcorridors and galleries, thrown into perspective.

Now that perspective can be taught to any schoolboy ina week, we can smile at this vanity. But the fact is, thatall pride in knowledge is precisely as. ridiculous, whateverits kind, or whatever its degree. There is, indeed, nothingof which man has any right to be proud; but the very lastthing of which, with any shadow of reason, he can makehis boast is his knowledge, except only that infinitely smallportion of' it which he has discovered for himself. Forwhat is there to be more proud of in receiving a piece ofknowledge from another person, than in receiving a pieceof money ? Beggars should not be proud, whatever kind-of alms they receive. Knowledge is like current coin. Aman may have some right to be proud of possessing it, ifhe has worked for the gold of it, and assayed it, andstamped it, so that it may be received of all men as true;or earned it fairly being already assayed : but if he hasdone none of these things, but only had it thrown in hisface by a passer-by, what cause has he to be proud ? Andthough, in this mendicant fashion, he has heaped togetherthe wealth of Croesus , would pride any more, for this, be-come him, as, in some sort, it becomes the man who haslaboured for his fortune, however small? So, if a mantells me the sun is larger than the earth, have I any causefor pride in knowing it ? or, if any multitude of men tellme any number of things, heaping all their wealth ofknowledge upon me, have I any reason to feel proud underthe heap ? And is not nearly all the knowledge of which