I will venture to affirm, that the three seasons wherein our corn has miscarried did no more contribute to our present misery, than one spoonful of water thrown upon a rat already drowned would contribute to his death; and that the present plentiful harvest, although it should be followed by a dozen ensuing, would no more restore us, than it would the rat aforesaid to put him near the fire, which might indeed warm his fur-coat, but never bring him back to life.

Summary

The quote suggests that the occurrence of three failed seasons of corn has had minimal impact on the current state of misery. It compares this situation to throwing a spoonful of water on a rat that is already drowned - it would not make a difference to the rat's death. Similarly, even if there were abundant harvests following the current one, it would not be enough to bring back welfare, just as placing the rat near a fire would warm its fur but not revive it. The quote highlights the inevitable and irreversible nature of the suffering and the insufficiency of positive events alone to alleviate it.

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