own as to justify him in bagging it without one hint that it was a
quotation. As for the value of the property bagged, that is another
question.

After thinking for a few minutes of the curious constitution of
mind which enables a man to feel his vanity flattered when he gets
credit to which he knows he is not entitled, as the plagiarist does,
I pass away into the. vast field of thought which is afforded by
the contemplation of human vanity in general. The Ettrick Shepherd
was wont to say that when he tried a new pen, instead of writing
his name, as most people do, he always wrote Solomon's famous
sentence, All is vanity. But he did not understand the words in
Solomon's sense: what he thought of was the limitless amount of
self-conceit which exists in human beings, and which hardly any
degree of mortification can (in many cases) cut down to a reasonable
quantity. I find it difficult to arrive at any fixed law in regard
to human self-conceit. It would be very pleasant if one could
conclude that monstrous vanity is confined to tremendous fools; but
although the greatest intellectual self-conceit I have ever seen
has been in blockheads of the greatest density and ignorance; and
although the greatest self-conceit of personal attractions has
been in men and women of unutterable silliness; still, it must
be admitted that very great and illustrious members of the human
race have been remarkable for their vanity. I have met very clever
men, as well as very great fools, who would willingly talk of no
other matters than themselves, and their own wonderful doings and
attainments. I have known men of real ability, who were always
anxious to impress you with the fact that they were the best riders,
the best shots, the best jumpers, in the world; who were always
telling stories of the sharp things they said on trying occasions,