——//——
Though our new-made foretopman
was well recieved in the top and on
the gun-decks, hardly here was he
that cynosure he previously had previously been
among those minor ship's companies
of the merchant marine, with which
companies only had he p hitherto
consorted.
He was young; and despite
his all but fully developed frame
in aspect looked even younger than
he really was, oweing to a lingering
adolescent expression in the as yet
smooth face all but feminine in the
purity of natural complexion
Though our new-made foretopman
was well recieved in the top and on
the gun-decks, hardly here was he
that cynosure he previously had previously been
among those minor ship's companies
of the merchant marine, with which
companies only had he p hitherto
consorted.
He was young; and despite
his all but fully developed frame
in aspect looked even younger than
he really was, oweing to a lingering
adolescent expression in the as yet
smooth face all but feminine in the
purity of natural complexion
but where, thanks to his seagoing, the
rose had m lily was quite suppressed
and the rose had much some ado visably to flush
through the tan.
To one essentially such
a novice in the wrinkled complexities
of factitious life, the abrupt transition
from his former and simpler sphere
to the ampler and more knowing
world of a great war-ship; this might
well have abashed him had there
been any conciet or vanity in his
composition. Among her miscellanious
multitude, the Indomitable
mustered
rose had m lily was quite suppressed
and the rose had much some ado visably to flush
through the tan.
To one essentially such
a novice in the wrinkled complexities
of factitious life, the abrupt transition
from his former and simpler sphere
to the ampler and more knowing
world of a great war-ship; this might
well have abashed him had there
been any conciet or vanity in his
composition. Among her miscellanious
multitude, the Indomitable
mustered
company
several individuals who
however inferior in grade were
of no common natural stamp,
sailors more signally susceptive
of that nobler air which continuous
martial discipline and repeated
prescence in battle can in some
degree impart even to the average
man. As the handsome sailor Billy
Budd's position aboard the seventy-four
was something analagous to that of a
rustic beauty belle transplanted from the provinces to a co and brought into competition with into the
circle of the court. the high dames of the court.
rustic beauty transplanted from the provinces
and brought into competition with the
high born dames of the court.
however inferior in grade were
of no common natural stamp,
sailors more signally susceptive
of that nobler air which continuous
martial discipline and repeated
prescence in battle can in some
degree impart even to the average
man. As the handsome sailor Billy
Budd's position aboard the seventy-four
was something analagous to that of a
rustic beauty belle transplanted from the provinces to a co and brought into competition with into the
circle of the court. the high dames of the court.
rustic beauty transplanted from the provinces
and brought into competition with the
high born dames of the court.
But this
alteration
change of circumstances
he scarce noted. As little did
he observe that something about
him provoked an ambiguous
amused smile in one or two
harder faces among the blue-jackets. petty officers Nor less unaware
was he of the peculiar favorable
effect his person and demeanor
had upon the more intelligent
officers of the gentleman of the quarter-deck. officers. Nor
could this well have been otherwise.
he observe that something about
him provoked an ambiguous
amused smile in one or two
harder faces among the blue-jackets. petty officers Nor less unaware
was he of the peculiar favorable
effect his person and demeanor
had upon the more intelligent
officers of the gentleman of the quarter-deck. officers. Nor
could this well have been otherwise.
Cast in a mould peculiar to the finest
physical examples of those Englishmen
in whom the Saxon strain would seem
not at all to partake of any Norman
or foreign other admixture, he showed in
face that mild humane look of
reposeful good nature which the
Greek sculptor in some instances gave to his heroic
strng man, the Farnese Hercules. But
this again was subtly modified by
another and pervasive quality. element . in his
composition. The ear, small and
shapely, the arch of the foot, the curve
in mouth and nostril, even the
indurated dyed hand dyed to the
orange-tawny of the toucan's bill,
a hand telling alike of the halyards
physical examples of those Englishmen
in whom the Saxon strain would seem
not at all to partake of any Norman
or foreign other admixture, he showed in
face that mild humane look of
reposeful good nature which the
Greek sculptor in some instances gave to his heroic
strng man, the Farnese Hercules. But
this again was subtly modified by
another and pervasive quality. element . in his
composition. The ear, small and
shapely, the arch of the foot, the curve
in mouth and nostril, even the
indurated dyed hand dyed to the
orange-tawny of the toucan's bill,
a hand telling alike of the halyards
and tar-bucket; but,
in
above
all, something
in the mobile expression, and every
chance attitude and movement,
something suggestive of a mother
eminently favored by Love and the
Graces; all this mysteriously strangely indicated
a lineage in direct contradition to
his the lot. The mysteriousness here,
however, became less mysterious throgh
a matter-of-fact elicited during
the scene of Bi when Billy at the capstan was
being formally mustered into the
service. Asked by the officer, a small brisk little
gentleman as it chanced among
other questions, his place of birth, he
replyed, ' 'Please, Sir, I do'nt know."
' 'Do'nt know where you were
born?—Who was your father?
in the mobile expression, and every
chance attitude and movement,
something suggestive of a mother
eminently favored by Love and the
Graces; all this mysteriously strangely indicated
a lineage in direct contradition to
his the lot. The mysteriousness here,
however, became less mysterious throgh
a matter-of-fact elicited during
the scene of Bi when Billy at the capstan was
being formally mustered into the
service. Asked by the officer, a small brisk little
gentleman as it chanced among
other questions, his place of birth, he
replyed, ' 'Please, Sir, I do'nt know."
' 'Do'nt know where you were
born?—Who was your father?
"God knows, Sir
.
,
but I do'nt.
I
was found, but where I do'nt know. "
was found, but where I do'nt know. "
"God knows, Sir."
Struck by the straightforward simplicity
of these replies, the officer next asked
"Do you know anything about your
beginning?"
"No, Sir. But I have heard
that I was found in a pretty silk-lined basket of
oakum hanging one morning from the
knocker of a good man's door in
Bristol"
Struck by the straightforward simplicity
of these replies, the officer next asked
"Do you know anything about your
beginning?"
"No, Sir. But I have heard
that I was found in a pretty silk-lined basket of
oakum hanging one morning from the
knocker of a good man's door in
Bristol"
"
Found
say you? Well,"
his
throwing back his head and looking
up and down the noble stature new recruit ; ' 'Well
it turns out to have been a pretty
good find. Hope they'll find some
more like you . , my man. for the fleet ." the fleet sadly my man ; the foundling.
fleet sadly needs na needs them them." Yes, Billy Budd was a
foundling, a presumable bye-blow,
and, evidently, no ignoble one. High Fair descent was as evident in him as in
as in a blood horse for the rest, with little
or none Fair
Noble descent was as evident in him as
in a blood horse.
For the rest, with little or
no sharpness of faculty or any trace
of the wisdom of the serpent, nor yet
throwing back his head and looking
up and down the noble stature new recruit ; ' 'Well
it turns out to have been a pretty
good find. Hope they'll find some
more like you . , my man. for the fleet ." the fleet sadly my man ; the foundling.
fleet sadly needs na needs them them." Yes, Billy Budd was a
foundling, a presumable bye-blow,
and, evidently, no ignoble one. High Fair descent was as evident in him as in
as in a blood horse for the rest, with little
or none Fair
Noble descent was as evident in him as
in a blood horse.
For the rest, with little or
no sharpness of faculty or any trace
of the wisdom of the serpent, nor yet
or any
Without with no trace of the wisdom of the serpent or
Without his any sharpness acuteness of faculty nor yet
quite a dove, he possessed that kind
and degree of intelligence going
along with the unconventional
rectitude of a sound pristine human creature ,
one one to whom has not yet has has been proffered
the questionable questionable apple of knowledge. He was
illiterate; he could not read, but he
could sing, and like the illiterate
nightingale was sometimes the composer
of his own song.
Of self-consciousness
he seemed to have little or none, or about as
much of it as we may reasonably
impute to impute to The bexx [two lines erased] the animal creation. a dog of Saint Bernard's breed an intelligent mastiff
Without with no trace of the wisdom of the serpent or
Without his any sharpness acuteness of faculty nor yet
quite a dove, he possessed that kind
and degree of intelligence going
along with the unconventional
rectitude of a sound pristine human creature ,
one one to whom has not yet has has been proffered
the questionable questionable apple of knowledge. He was
illiterate; he could not read, but he
could sing, and like the illiterate
nightingale was sometimes the composer
of his own song.
Of self-consciousness
he seemed to have little or none, or about as
much of it as we may reasonably
impute to impute to The bexx [two lines erased] the animal creation. a dog of Saint Bernard's breed an intelligent mastiff
Habitually living wth the
elements and knowing little more of
the land than as a beach, or, rather,
that portion of the terraqueous globe
providentially set apart for dance-houses
doxies and tapsters, in short what
sailors call a " fidlers' green, " his
simple nature remained unsophisticated
by that maze of those guarded moral obliquties
which are not in every case incompatable
with that manufacturable thing
known as respectability. But are
sailors, without v frequenters of " fiddlers'-
-green -greens , " without vices? No; but
less often than with landsmen
do their vices, so called, they partake of viciousness crookedness of heart . ,
these same their vices, so called, seeming
elements and knowing little more of
the land than as a beach, or, rather,
that portion of the terraqueous globe
providentially set apart for dance-houses
doxies and tapsters, in short what
sailors call a " fidlers' green, " his
simple nature remained unsophisticated
by that maze of those guarded moral obliquties
which are not in every case incompatable
with that manufacturable thing
known as respectability. But are
sailors, without v frequenters of " fiddlers'-
-green -greens , " without vices? No; but
less often than with landsmen
do their vices, so called, they partake of viciousness crookedness of heart . ,
these same their vices, so called, seeming
less
to proceed
less
from
mere
viciousness
than from exuberance of vitality after
long constraint , : or frank manifestations
in accordance with natural law.
By his original constitution aided
by the cooperating influnces of his
lot, Billy in many respects
was little more than a sort of unassuming upright
barbarian, much such perhaps
as Adam presumably might have
been ere the urbane Serpent
bowed wriggled himself into his company.
And here be it submitted that
apparently going to corroborate the doctrine
of man's fall, a doctrine now popularly
ignored, it is observable that where the
simpler unsophisticated virtues
certain virtues unadulterate pristine and unadulterate
than from exuberance of vitality after
long constraint , : or frank manifestations
in accordance with natural law.
By his original constitution aided
by the cooperating influnces of his
lot, Billy in many respects
was little more than a sort of unassuming upright
barbarian, much such perhaps
as Adam presumably might have
been ere the urbane Serpent
bowed wriggled himself into his company.
And here be it submitted that
apparently going to corroborate the doctrine
of man's fall, a doctrine now popularly
ignored, it is observable that where the
simpler unsophisticated virtues
certain virtues unadulterate pristine and unadulterate
Most of
them
these "vices"
are the
They are but frank evidence manifestations
of the untutored man, or manifestations
in accordance with natural law.
By his original constitution aided
by the cooperating influnces of his
lot, Billy in many respects
was little more than a sort of unassuming upright
barbarian, much such perhaps
as Adam presumably might have
been ere the urbane Serpent
glided insinuated himself upon the scene. bowed himself into his company
And here be it submitted,
that apparently helping to corroborate the spirit that underlies the
now unpopular ridiculed dogma of Man's Fall,
a dogma now practicallypracticallyEL popularlyS ignored it is observable that where the
simpler unsophisticated
They are but frank evidence manifestations
of the untutored man, or manifestations
in accordance with natural law.
By his original constitution aided
by the cooperating influnces of his
lot, Billy in many respects
was little more than a sort of unassuming upright
barbarian, much such perhaps
as Adam presumably might have
been ere the urbane Serpent
glided insinuated himself upon the scene. bowed himself into his company
And here be it submitted,
that apparently helping to corroborate the spirit that underlies the
now unpopular ridiculed dogma of Man's Fall,
a dogma now practicallypracticallyEL popularlyS ignored it is observable that where the
simpler unsophisticated
virtues eminently
peculiarly
characterize
anybody in the external uniform
of civilization, such virtues they will
upon scrutiny seem not to be
derived from custom or convention , but rather to be alien qualities out of keeping with these &c
but rather to be alien out of keeping with
these, as if indeed exceptionally transmitted
from a period prior to cities Cain's fir city and
citified man. The character pi marked
by such virtues qualities has to an unvitiated
taste an untampered-with flavor like
that of berries, while the man thoroughly
civilized even in a fair specimen of the breed has to the same moral palet pallet
a questionable smack as of some a
compounded wine. In To any stray inheritor of pristine
virtue of these primitive qualities found, like Caspar Hauser, wandering
dazed in the nominally
any Christian capitals capital of our day time
anybody in the external uniform
of civilization, such virtues they will
upon scrutiny seem not to be
derived from custom or convention , but rather to be alien qualities out of keeping with these &c
but rather to be alien out of keeping with
these, as if indeed exceptionally transmitted
from a period prior to cities Cain's fir city and
citified man. The character pi marked
by such virtues qualities has to an unvitiated
taste an untampered-with flavor like
that of berries, while the man thoroughly
civilized even in a fair specimen of the breed has to the same moral palet pallet
a questionable smack as of some a
compounded wine. In To any stray inheritor of pristine
virtue of these primitive qualities found, like Caspar Hauser, wandering
dazed in the nominally
any Christian capitals capital of our day time
The
the
old
good-natured
poet's famous invocation, near two
thousand years ago, of the good rustic
out of his latitude in pagan Ces the Rome,
of the Cesars still appropriatly holds:—
Honest and poor, "Faithful in word and thought
What has thee, Fabian, to the city brought."
Though our handsome Handsome sailor Sailor
had as much of masculine beauty as
one can expect anywhere to see; nevertheless,
like the beautiful woman in one of
Hawthorne's minor tales, there was
just one thing amiss in him. No
visable visible blemish indeed, like as with the
lady; no, but a an occasional liability to an
a vocal defect. Though in the hour
thousand years ago, of the good rustic
out of his latitude in pagan Ces the Rome,
of the Cesars still appropriatly holds:—
Honest and poor, "Faithful in word and thought
What has thee, Fabian, to the city brought."
Though our handsome Handsome sailor Sailor
had as much of masculine beauty as
one can expect anywhere to see; nevertheless,
like the beautiful woman in one of
Hawthorne's minor tales, there was
just one thing amiss in him. No
visable visible blemish indeed, like as with the
lady; no, but a an occasional liability to an
a vocal defect. Though in the hour
of elemental uproar or peril, he was
everything that a sailor should be,
yet under sudden provocation of
strong heart-feeling his voice otherwise a singularly musical,
as if expressive as the organ of the harmony
within, was apt to would sometimes
nearly always develop an organic hesitancy, or worse, in
fact more or less of a stammer stutter —// — . or even worse
everything that a sailor should be,
yet under sudden provocation of
strong heart-feeling his voice otherwise a singularly musical,
as if expressive as the organ of the harmony
within, was apt to would sometimes
nearly always develop an organic hesitancy, or worse, in
fact more or less of a stammer stutter —// — . or even worse
In this particular Billy was a striking
instance that the arch interferer, the envious
marplot of Eden still has more or less
to do with every human consignment to
this planet of earth. In every case, one way
or another he is sure to slip in his
little card, as much as to remind us—
I too have a hand here.
The avowal of such an
imperfection in the Handsome Sailor should be evidence not
alone that the Handsome Sailor he is not
presented as a conventional hero, but
also that the story in which he is the
main figure is no romance.
instance that the arch interferer, the envious
marplot of Eden still has more or less
to do with every human consignment to
this planet of earth. In every case, one way
or another he is sure to slip in his
little card, as much as to remind us—
I too have a hand here.
The avowal of such an
imperfection in the Handsome Sailor should be evidence not
alone that the Handsome Sailor he is not
presented as a conventional hero, but
also that the story in which he is the
main figure is no romance.