Dunsford. Milverton is right, I think.

Ellesmere. Do not imagine that I am behind either of you in a wish
to hold up truth. My only doubt was as to the mode. For my own
part, I have such faith in truth that I take it mere concealment is
in most cases a mischief. And I should say, for instance, that a
wise man would be sorry that his fellows should think better of him
than he deserves. By the way, that is a reason why I should not
like to be a writer of moral essays, Milverton--one should be
supposed to be so very good.

Milverton. Only by thoughtless people then. There is a saying
given to Rousseau, not that he ever did say it, for I believe it was
a misprint, but it was a possible saying for him, "Chaque homme qui
pense est mechant." Now, without going the length of this aphorism,
we may say that what has been well written has been well suffered.

"He best can paint them who has felt them most."

And so, though we should not exactly declare that writers who have
had much moral influence have been wicked men, yet we may admit that
they have been amongst the most struggling, which implies anything
but serene self-possession and perfect spotlessness. If you take
the great ones, Luther, Shakespeare, Goethe, you see this at once.

Dunsford. David, St. Paul.

Milverton. Such men are like great rocks on the seashore. By their
resistance, terraces of level land are formed; but the rocks