More than three centuries ago. Sir Thomas Browne noted 'the humour of many heads to extol the days of their forefathers, and declaim against the wickedness of times present'. He added that these nostalgic declaimers seem always to have been present, and indeed one can find notable examples of them from virtually all periods of human history. Horace's lament - 'Our fathers, viler than our grandfathers, begot us who are even viler; we shall bring forth a progeny more degenerate still' - is still echoed today by those who see society in dangerous decay from causes as diverse as Aids and abortion, pollution and punk rock, drugs and deficit spending. Because these attitudes have been expressed continuously across the centuries, Browne did not take them seriously, and argued that they merely indicated 'the community of vice' across all stages of history.

LRB 8 March 1990 | PDF Download