Salmagundi; or, The whim-whams and opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, esq. [pseud.] and others. By William Irving, James Kirke Paulding and Washington Irving. Printed from the original ed., with a preface and notes by Evert A. Duyckinck.

310 SALMAGUNDI.
happiest facility of dragging and winding themselves along in
the dirt. This may seem a parodox to many of my readers,
who, with great good nature be it hinted, are too stupid to look
beyond the mere surface of our invaluable writings; and often
pass over the knowing allusions, and poignant meaning, that is;lily couching beneath. It is for the benefit of such helpless
ig'norants, who have no other creed but the opinion of the mob,
that I shall trace, as far as it is possible to follow him in his progress from insignificance-the rise, progress, and completion of a
LITTLE GREAT MAN.
In a logocracy, to use the sage Mustapha's phrase, it is not
absolutely necessary to the formation of a great man that he
should be either wise or valiant, upright or honorable. On the
contrary, daily experience shows, that these qualities rather impede his preferment; inasmuch as they are prone to render him
too inflexibly erect, and directly at variance with that willow
suppleness which enables a man to wind, and twist; through all
the nooks and turns and dark winding passages that lead to
greatness. The grand requisite for climbing the rugged hill of
popularity-the summit of which is the seat of power-is to be
useful. And here, once more, for the sake of our readers, who
are, of course, not so wise as ourselves, I must explain what we
understand by usefulness. The horse, in his native state, is wild,
swift, impetuous, full of majesty, and of a most generous spirit.
It is then the animal is noble, exalted, and useless. But entrap
him, manacle him, cudgel him, break down his lofty spirit, put
the curb into his mouth, the load upon his back, and reduce him
into servile obedience to the bridle and the lash, and it is then
he becomes useful. Your jackass is one of the most useful animals in existence. If my readers do not now understand what I
mean by usefulness, I give them all up for most absolute nincoms.