August 20th, four o’clock A.M.
`` The earth spreads a continual feast before him . '' What , then , has he gained by that selfish and imperfect association which forms a nation ? Would it not be better for every one to turn again to the fertile bosom of nature , and live there upon her bounty in peace and liberty ? August 20th , four o'clock A.M. -- The dawn casts a red glow on my bed-curtains ; the breeze brings in the fragrance of the gardens below . Here I am again leaning on my elbows by the windows , inhaling the freshness and gladness of this first wakening of the day . My eye always passes over the roofs filled with flowers , warbling , and sunlight , with the same pleasure ; but to-day it stops at the end of a buttress which separates our house from the next . The storms have stripped the top of its plaster covering , and dust carried by the wind has collected in the crevices , and , being fixed there by the rain , has formed a sort of aerial terrace , where some green grass has sprung up .