measuring greatness
'I have the list of mine own faults to know,
Look to, and cure. He's not a man hath none,
But like to be, that every day mends one
And feels it; else he tarries by the beast.
Can I discern how shadows are decreased
Or grown, by height or lowness of the sun,
And can I less of substance? When I run,
Ride, sail, am coached, know I how far I have gone,
And my mind's motion not? Or have I none?
No! he must feel and know that will advance.
Men have been great, but never good by chance
Or on the sudden. It were strange that he
Who was this morning such a one should be
Sidney ere night! Or that did go to bed
Coryate should rise the most sufficient head
Of Christendom! And neither of these know,
Were the rack offered them, how they came so;
'Tis by degrees that men arrive at glad
Profit in aught; each day some little add,
In time 'twill be a heap; this is not true
Alone in money, but in manners too.
Yet we must more than move still, or go on,
We must accomplish: 'tis the keystone
That makes the arch'.
Ben Jonson, "An Epistle to Sir Edward Sackville, now Earl of Dorset" The Underwood 13
Was dwelling on the idea of the paradoxical 'stasis-in-motion' state of sedentary travel, and then found this passage on making progress: every little step forward means a little closer to accomplishment. There's the improvement in mind and in distance, and Jonson is talking about the former. Physical distance can be measured, but how does one calculate the abstract notion of gaining knowledge? 'No!' asserts the diligent poet, 'he must feel and know that will advance'. It's very encouraging and promising and all that, sounding like a 17th-century chicken soup article, but all I'm wondering is when can I actually 'make advancements' by stepping outside my front door and go on a holiday, instead of working on how to improve the mind? Pooh.
PS. But what does Jonson make of the type of instant-noodle wealth and success we have today? Lottery ticket winners and 15 minutes of fame... in this day and age 'some little add, / In time 'twill be a heap' requires too much time and effort. If sweet wealth and fame were offered to me in a day, I shan't refuse, ha.