The Hatred of a Tulip-fancier

           FromthatmomentBoxtel’sinterestintulipswasnolongerastimulustohisexertions,butadeadeninganxiety.Henceforthallhisthoughtsranonlyupontheinjurywhichhisneighbourwouldcausehim,andthushisfavouriteoccupationwaschangedintoaconstantsourceofmiserytohim.

           VanBaerle,asmayeasilybeimagined,hadnosoonerbeguntoapplyhisnaturalingenuitytohisnewfancy,thanhesucceededingrowingthefinesttulips.Indeed,heknewbetterthananyoneelseatHaarlemorLeyden—thetwotownswhichboastthebestsoilandthemostcongenialclimate—howtovarythecolours,tomodifytheshape,andtoproducenewspecies.

           Hebelongedtothatnatural,humorousschoolwhotookfortheirmottointheseventeenthcenturytheaphorismutteredbyoneoftheirnumberin1653,—“TodespiseflowersistooffendGod.”

           Fromthatpremisetheschooloftulip-fanciers,themostexclusiveofallschools,workedoutthefollowingsyllogisminthesameyear:—

           “TodespiseflowersistooffendGod.

           “Themorebeautifulthefloweris,themoredoesoneoffendGodindespisingit.

           “Thetulipisthemostbeautifulofallflowers.

           “Therefore,hewhodespisesthetulipoffendsGodbeyondmeasure.”

           Byreasoningofthiskind,itcanbeseenthatthefourorfivethousandtulip-growersofHolland,France,andPortugal,leavingoutthoseofCeylonandChinaandtheIndies,might,ifsodisposed,putthewholeworldundertheban,andcondemnasschismaticsandhereticsanddeservingofdeaththeseveralhundredmillionsofmankindwhosehopesofsalvationwerenotcentreduponthetulip.