Episode 2

Poe Blog
Originally uploaded by deglinkta.

Welcome to this Sunday's Poe Blog w/Peter Francis.

"Wherein Poe describes three key ingredients of a good diddle. Enjoy."

-Peter Francis

Promethean Books presents

Episode Two of

"DIDDLING:

Considered as One of the Exact Sciences"

(continued from last week)

"Diddling, rightly considered, is a compound of which the ingredients are minuteness, interest, perseverance, ingenuity, audacity, nonchalance, originality, impertinence, and grin.


Minuteness: -Your diddler is minute. His operations are upon a small scale. His business is retail, for cash, or approved paper at sight. Should he ever be tempted into magnificent speculation, he then, at once, loses his distinctive features, and becomes what we term "financier." This latter word conveys the diddling idea in every respect except that of magnitude. A diddler may thus be regarded as a banker in petto- a "financial operation," as a diddle at Brobdignag. The one is to the other, as Homer to "Flaccus" - as a mastodon to a mouse - as the tail of a comet to that of a pig.


Interest: -Your diddler is guided by self-interest. He scorns to diddle for the mere sake of the diddle. He has an object in view - his pocket - and yours. He regards always the main chance. He looks to Number One. You are Number Two, and must look to yourself.


Perseverance: - Your diddler perseveres. He is not readily discouraged. Should even the banks break, he cares nothing about it. He steadily pursues his end, and

Ut canis a corio nunquam absterrebitur uncto,

so he never lets go of his game."

(To be continued...)