What a sense of security in an old book which Time has criticised for us!

Things that have lasted have already been tested by more readers than you will ever meet. Most of what is published falls away within a few years, and what remains has survived a long, impersonal sifting, which is a kind of recommendation nothing current can offer. There is rest in that: you can give an old work your full attention without first having to decide whether it deserves it.

Against the pile of new things demanding your time, put one that has lasted a century. Read it slowly this month, and notice how different it feels to trust what you are reading.