The Glory of English Prose / Letters to My Grandson

ar An

merit well above ordinary proper prose. There are many writers whose general correctness and excellence

ons in all directions, you may perhaps come to differ from my jud

the proportions manifested by the contou

els and school books. And, as each ascent from the sea-level is reached, less and less land attains to

w-line are a slender band compared to all th

taineer, nor a hearthstone for a granite peak. Time slowly buri

e he lay for conscience' sake for twelve years. "As I walked through the wilderness of this world," said he, "I lighted on a certain place where was a den, and laid me down in that place to sleep; and as I slept

complete expression; the story wells from th

to Christian, 'Hast thou co

and they put me

mind that they may be as a goad in thy sides,

rd up his loins, and to add

be always with thee, good Christian, to gui

ian went o

Salvation. Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his back. He

rom off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued

said with a merry heart, 'He hath given me

it was very surprising to him that the sight o

, even till the springs that were in hi

709. Many years, therefore, elapsed between the ti

not myself find, between these two masters of English prose, anyone who wro

and who reached the true nobility of speech necessary to command our tri

and eloquent prose from the pen of any man whose heart i

lovin

.