J. Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur's "Letters from an American Farmer"

vicissitudes

Definition of vicissitude (n)
 
1athe quality or state of being changeable MUTABILITY
bnatural change or mutation visible in nature or in human affairs
2aa favorable or unfavorable event or situation that occurs by chance a fluctuation of state or condition
ba difficulty or hardship attendant on a way of life, a career, or a course of action and usually beyond one's control
calternating change SUCCESSION

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