But if not--what matter? In any life, in any state,
however simple or humble, there will be always sufficient to occupy a
Minute Philosopher; and if a man be busy, and busy about his duty,
what more does he require, for time or for eternity?
V. FROM OCEAN TO SEA.
The point from which to start, in order best to appreciate the change
from ocean to sea, is perhaps Biarritz. The point at which to stop
is Cette. And the change is important. Between the two points races
are changed, climates are changed, scenery is changed, the very
plants under your feet are changed, from a Western to an Eastern
type. You pass from the wild Atlantic into the heart of the Roman
Empire--from the influences which formed the discoverers of the New
World, to those which formed the civilizers of the Old. Gascony, not
only in its scenery, but in its very legends, reminds you of Devon
and Cornwall; Languedoc of Greece and Palestine.
In the sea, as was to be expected, the change is even more complete.
From Biarritz to Cette, you pass from poor Edward Forbes's Atlantic
to his Mediterranean centre of creation.
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