Spy Nozy/Spinoza

Spinoza, den flotte fyr.

En af de morsomte historier fra Coleridges liv er den om, hvordan han som ung - sammen med William og Dorothy Wordsworth - oplevede at blive udspioneret på grund af sine politiske holdninger. Her er hans egen udgave af historien om den kiksede spion med den store næse, der gemmer sig bag træer og buske og aldrig har hørt om Spinoza. Uddraget er fra Coleridges selvbiografiske Biographia Literaria fra 1817:

...a SPY was actually sent down from the government pour surveillance of myself and my friend. (...) He had repeatedly hid himself, he said, for hours together behind a bank at the sea-side (our favourite seat) and overheard our conversation. At first he fancied, that we were aware of our danger; for he often heard me talk of one Spy Nozy, which he was inclined to interpret of himself, and of a remarkable feature belonging to him; but he was speedily convinced that it was the name of a man who had made a book and lived long ago.

Og således troede den stakkels spion med den store gynter altså, at Coleridge og hans kumpaner havde opdaget ham og givet ham øgenavnet 'Spy Nozy' - når de i virkeligheden bare ganske uskyldigt diskuterede Spinoza.

Åh fnis, altså.

Og således oplivet kaster jeg mig ud i arbejdsugens sidste timer.