It was thus that the passion for the equine race was first awakened within me-a passion which,up to the present time,has been rather on the increase than diminishing.It is no blind passion;the horse being a noble and generous creature,intended by the All-Wise to be the helper and friend of man,to whom he stands next in the order of creation.On many occasions of my life I have been much indebted to the horse,and have found in him a friend and coadjutor,when human help and sympathy were not to be obtained.
It is therefore natural enough that I should love the horse;but the love which I entertain for him has always been blended with respect;for I soon perceived that,though disposed to be the friend and helper of man,he is by no means inclined to be his slave;in which respect he differs from the dog,who will crouch when beaten;whereas the horse spurns,for he is aware of his own worth and that he carries death within the horn of his heel.If,therefore,I found it easy to love the horse,I found it equally natural to respect him.
I much question whether philology,or the passion for languages,requires so little of an apology as the love for horses.It has been said,I believe,that the more languages a man speaks,the more a man is he;which is very true,provided he acquires languages as a medium for becoming acquainted with the thoughts and feelings of the various sections into which the human race is divided;but,in that case,he should rather be termed a philosopher than a philologist-between which two the difference is wide indeed!An individual may speak and read a dozen languages,and yet be an exceedingly poor creature,scarcely half a man;and the pursuit of tongues for their own sake,and the mere satisfaction of acquiring them,surely argues an intellect of a very low order;a mind disposed to be satisfied with mean and grovelling things;taking more pleasure in the trumpery casket than in the precious treasure which it contains;in the pursuit of words,than in the acquisition of ideas.