At the year’s end, Robert Louis Stevenson reflects on what it means to live well when we are all a long time dying. Recalling Tacitus and the veterans of Germanicus, he argues that our duty is less to be good than to be kind and cheerful, and that the petty sins of envy, malice and family tyranny deserve more of our zeal than the obvious vices.
A brief, humane essay that rewards an annual rereading at Christmas. Download the free EPUB.