I beg any reader to remember that, although I am hardly callow, I am not yet wise in the ways of the world. If my life appears simple and foolish, then you must conclude that the young man of so many years past was similarly so. I will make no accusations, and indulge in no polemic against others; rather, I will live my life, confident that I need do no more. I do not go back to my portrait to add extra layers of tint and varnish to cover my errors of the weakness of my draftsmanship.