Volume I Part 15 (1/2)
The priest coe was carried to the dormitory, where I went st the adults, because, notwithstanding h Besides, I would not shave ht that the down on my face left no doubt of my youth It was ridiculous, of course; but when does et rid of our vices more easily than of our follies Tyranny has not had sufficient power over me to compel me to shave myself; it is only in that respect that I have found tyranny to be tolerant
”To which school do you wish to belong?” asked the rector
”To the dogmatic, reverend father; I wish to study the history of the Church”
”I will introduce you to the father examiner”
”I am doctor in divinity, most reverend father, and do not want to be examined”
”It is necessary, my dear son; come with me”
This necessity appeared to e quickly whispered to me the best way to mystify them, and the idea made me very joyful I answered so badly all the questions propounded in Latin by the examiner, I made so many solecisms, that he felt it his duty to send reat delight, I foundurchins of about ten years, who, hearing that I was doctor in divinity, kept on saying: 'Accipiamus pecuniam, et mittamus asinureat amusement; my companions of the dormitory, ere all in the class of philosophy at least, looked down upon reat contempt, and when they spoke of their own subli attentively to their discussions which, as they thought, mas to me I did not intend to betray myself, but an accident, which I could not avoid, forcedto the Convent of the Salutation at Venice, whose pupil I had been in physics, cafrom mass paid me his friendly compliments His first question was to enquire what science I was studying, and he thought I was joking when I answered that I was learning the graether, and went to my class An our later, the rector sent for norance at the examination?” he asked
”Why,” I answered, ”were you unjust enough to coradation of an examatic school, where reat astonishathered around me and made me very happy with their professions of friendshi+p
One of them, about fifteen years old, and who at the present time must, if still alive, be a bishop, attracted my notice by his features as much as by his talents He inspiredrecess, instead of playing skittles with the others, alked together We conversed upon poetry, and we both delighted in the beautiful odes of Horace We liked Ariosobtter than Tasso, and Petrarch had our whole admiration, while Tassoni and Muratori, who had been his critics, were the special objects of our contempt We were such fast friends, after four days of acquaintance, that ere actually jealous of each other, and to such an extent that if either of us walked about with any sery and sulk like a disappointed lover
The dormitory was placed under the supervision of a lay friar, and it was his province to keep us in good order After supper, accompanied by this lay friar, who had the title of prefect, we all proceeded to the doro to his own bed, and to undress quietly after having said his prayers in a low voice When all the pupils were in bed, the prefect would go to his own A large lantern lighted up the dorhty yards by ten The beds were placed at equal distances, and to each bed there were a fold-stool, a chair, and room for the trunk of the Se place, and at the other the bed of the prefect The bed of my friend was opposite mine, and the lantern was between us
The principal duty of the prefect was to take care that no pupil should go and sleep with one of his comrades, for such a visit was never supposed an innocent one It was a cardinal sin, and, bed being accounted the place for sleep and not for conversation, it was admitted that a pupil who slept out of his own bed, did so only for i as he stopped in his own bed, he could do what he liked; so ave himself up to bad practices It has been remarked in Ger men in which the directors have taken most pains to prevent onanism that this vice is ulations in our see of either morals or human nature
Nature has wants which ht only as far as the abuse of nature is concerned, but this abuse would very seldom occur if the directors exercised proper wisdo it in a special and peculiar erous excesses froht in disobedience,--a disposition very natural to huan with Adam and Eve
I had been in the seht I felt so very quietly in my bed; my hand was at once clutched, and hter It wasthat the lantern was out, had taken a sudden fancy to pay o away for fear the prefect should be awake, for in such a case we should have found ourselves in a very unpleasant dilemma, and most likely would have been accused of soood advice we heard so, and my friend made his escape; but immediately after he had left me I heard the fall of some person, and at the sa:
”Ah, villain! wait until to-hted the lantern and retired to his couch
The next , the rector, followed by the prefect, entered the dormitory, and said to us:
”Listen to me, all of you You are aware of what has taken place this last night Two aive them, and to save their honour I promise that their names shall not be made public I expect every one of you to come to me for confession before recess”
He left the dormitory, and we dressed ourselves In the afternoon, in obedience to his orders, we all went to hiarden, whereunfortunately ht that the best as to knock hiet ti known
”And now,” I said, ”you are certain of being forgiven, for, of course, you have wisely confessed your error?”
”You are joking,” answered ood rector would not have known any more than he knows at present, even if my visit to you had been paid with a criminal intent”
”Then you uilty of disobedience?”