Precept & Practice – APRIL 17 – Love and Remorse
When a friend is carried to the grave, we at once find excuses for every weakness, and palliations of every fault. We recollect a thousand endearments which before glided off our minds without impression, a thousand favours unrepaid, a thousand duties un-performed, and wish, vainly wish, for his return, not so much that we may receive as bestow happiness, and recompense that kindness which we never understood.
Dr. Johnson
Love that comes too late,
Like a remorseful pardon slowly carried,
To the great sender turns a sour offence,
Crying ” That’s good, that’s gone.” Our rash faults
Make trivial price of serious things we have,
Not knowing them, until we know their grave.
Shakespeare
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From the Introduction to Precept and Practice
The kindly welcome given to my other little books, ‘Being and Doing’ and ‘Character and Conduct,’ must be my excuse for adding another collection of extracts to the number now in circulation.
The quotations are gathered from the books of many earnest thinkers, and deal with Life in all its length and breadth, with ourselves, our characters, our plain unvarnished faults and weaknesses, our often untoward circumstances, and with all that drags us down;- with our purposes, our religion, our love and friendships, and with all that uplifts us;- with our relation to others, our influence and responsibilities, and finally with those stages of our journey which bring us to the Road’s Last Turn and to the Silent Land.
CONSTANCE M. WHISHAW
Suffolk Vicar 