1 lofophy and wit in a peevish indulgence of his averfion to icepticism and licentioufnels. As I am not a pleader fo determined for one of the parties in this great question as you, Sir, I will freely confefs, that in the opinion of thinking and impartial men, there are, in the the present flate of France, confiderable abufes, and that in the prof pect of her future condition, there are to be foreseen much difficulty and danger. In fome of the members of her National Affembly, there is a want of virtue, in more there is a want of wisdom, and in a ftill greater number a want of moderation; while in the aggregate body there is a deficiency of power to enable it always to adopt the best measures, or to enforce thofe which it has found a neceflity of adopting. From the impofition and collection of the revenue, from the conftruction of the inferior municipal jurifdictions, but especially from the fituation of the army, they are threatened with the overthrow of all they have done in correction of the old, or in the establishment of the new Conflitution. But many of the friends of mankind will hope, as certainly all of them must wish, that all thefe dargers may be avoided and thofe difficulties overcome; that the wifdom of the enlightened, and the virtue of the good among them, may fucceed in eftablishing, though not a perfect or an unexce; tionable government, one at left more confonant to the natural rights (for the expreflion, to after all theirabuse, and your ridicule, >> is still in itlelf a good one) and more friendly to the happinefs of man than that which they have abolished. Your objections are ftated when the new conflitutions are yet in their 'beginning, before the effects of their general operation can be feen, or the errors in their detail are correct.d. You write with the decifion of a iuppofed perfect knowledge of the prelent circumftances, and predio with a perfect confidence of the future. A little more diffidence in opinion, and a little more referve ju expreffion, might have been fater, as well as more conciliating. One confideration fhould have efpecially induced this, which might have great, weight in a calm and difpaffionate view of this whole bulinefs, The bulk of the people feem to be fatisfied with the Revolution. After a confiderable time to cool from the fervor of newly-acquired freedom, a great majority of the nation have, on trying occafions, declared for, and fupported the measures of the National Affembly. It is bold in an individual foreigner, however able and enlightened, to arraign the measures which fo general a fuffrage of the people, whofe interefls they concern, has fanctioned. While I venture these remarks on your performance, I mean not to de pretiate its merit, or to doubt the goodnefs of thofe motives with which it was written. I feel all its genius and its ability, with that partiality which is infpired by its virtue and its benevolence. This is an advantage which the writings of its author, in general poffefs. The defects of his character are pardoned like the defects of his writings, becault they proceed rather from the extreme of eftimable qualities, than from the want of them; from overtrained feeling, from miftaken humanity, from the zeal of right pufhed almoft to fanaticifm. With me, Sr, the regiet of fuch defects is always attended by a with for their correction, and a hope of the ufefulncts of thofe talents by which they are accompanied. From the fpirit of your prefent performance, I anticipate a concuct beneficial to the commenity. I fee in it a dread of the inconfiderate defire of reform; a jealoufy of needles innovation, which it feems to me extremely useful to keep awake at the present time. Even when the outcry for change and innovation is honelt, it ma, ne hurtful; hurtful; but if it is only the cloak of the just prerogatives of the Crown, or to infringe the rights of the people, from you, Sir, we expect their de fence. With moderate and virtuous men, the prefent performance will be a guarantee for your conduct; they will figure you laying your hand up on this book, fwearing loyalty to your king, and fidelity to the conftitution; pledging yourself as attached to no principles fo much as to thofe of general patriotism and public vir tue; as fubfervient to the interefts of no party in oppofition to those of your profligate felf-intereft, or inordinate BRUTUS. IN Curfory Obfervations by Dr. Jortin. Norder to be chofen one of the fix principal magiftrates of Strafburg, a man must prove that he is ignoble, and a Plebeian, defcended from Plebeians for eight generations. See La Mothe le Vayer. The more abfurd and incredible any divine hiftory, the greater honour," fays Bacon, "we do to God in believing it." I wonder that fuch a man fhould have adopted fuch a doctrine, and have had fo little regard for his own reputation; for he who talks in this manner, will always fall under the fufpicion of being either a tru: Fanatic, or a difguifed Infidel. As to Bacon's Editor, he hath taken fufficient care, both in his note upon this pallage, and in a Preface, Vol. II. p. 284 to let us know that he him is not a Fanatic. See Bacon's Works, by Shaw. As to Bacon he feems to have given way to his fancy, and exercifed his wit, in drawing p Chriftian Paradoxes. The fame Author tells us, that "the age of the cat terminates between fix and ten." What Juvenal fays of Tyrants, (Sat. X. 12.) is true of Cats, that seldom do they Ad generum Cereris fine cade et But if they escape the hands of violence, they hold out beyond the period affigned by Bacon. I had one that lived with me fourteen years; and I have heard of fome that were much older. How little the duties of Toleration and Moderation were underfood, either by Papifts or Proteftants, in! the fixteenth century, is evident from a letter of Melanchthon, who yet feems to have been a Divine of much mildofs and good nature. Concerning the burning of Servetus, he fays to Bullinger, Legi quæ de Serveti blafphemiis refpondiftis, et pietatem ac judicia veftra prabo. Fudies et:am Senatum Genevenfem rette feciffe, quoit bominem pertinacem, et non omiffurum blafphemia fuftulit: Ac miratus fum effe, qui feveritatem illam impre bent." It is an obfervation of Montaigne, that "Of those who have made themselves famous in the world, he would lay a wager to produce more who died before, than after, thirtyfive." Effais, Tom. I. 19. I have, I believe, confidered this matter more. than Montaigne, and marked the years of the life of many hundred fcholars. And, fetting afide violent deaths, I look upon fixty-three to be the middle term of life; there being about as many who have died before, as at fixty-three and upwards. The number of thofe who died at or near fixty-three is fo far greater than at any other year, that I fufpect it hath not been called the grand climacteric, without fome reafon. The bodies of many perfons feem to be a machine wound up for that period; which may be fhortened, but cannot be much lengthened. In the firft proteftant fchools and univerfities of Germany, moft of the ftudents were very poor: They fupported themselves by begging and finging pfalms from door to door; they ftudied by moon-light, for want of candles; they were almost starved for want of fire; and often went to bed with an empty ftomach: Yet the earnest defire of erudition conquered all thefe difficulties, and they became private tutors, fchoolmafters, preachers, and profeffors. Our young folks now have not the tenth part of thefe hardships to endure, nor a tenth part of their industry and learning. The Athenians, a polite people, gave polite names to ugly things. They called the jail, the houfe; the hangman, Ann the commoner; a thief, a LOVER: that is, "one who falls in love with a purfe of money, or with fome fuch pretty object, &c." In many places Erafmus highly commends Sigifmundus Gelenius, who was the corrector of Froben's prefs. "His uncommon erudition," fays he, "and the probity and fincerity of his manners, render him worthy of a much better fortune: and yet I dare not wish that he were rich.". "Why fo? you will fay." Left it fhould make him indolent, and lefs active in advancing the caufe of literature. Po verty is a great fpur to industry." This may be true: but, when a learned and a modeft man bath long druged in occupations which are really be neath him, and hath fhewn evident marks of his attachment to literature, of his zeal to ferve the public, and of his capacity of doing greater things, if he were more at his ease, and at liberty to chufe fuch works as baft suited his abilities, he is furely worthy of fome recompenfe: and it is a fcaodalous thing when fuch favours are only bestowed upon people, who procure them by foliciting, by flattering, &c. Efculapius, the Father of Phyficians, loved fees too well; and for the fake of gold restored a dead man to life, for which Jupiter killed him with his thunder, as Pindar informs us, Pyth. III. I wonder that fome of the Greek Epigrammatifts, who often ri dicule the phyficians, did not take the hint from Pindar; and fay, that the children of Efculapius, left they fhould fuffer as their father had done, instead of raifing the dead, were contented to kill the living. H is too verbofe in his compofitions. If he were an indigent auther, who fold his works by the fheer, I could pardon him: for fuch an one lofes a penny, along with every idle fentence that he ftrikes out of his copy. his neceffities will not fuffer him to part with his fuperfluities. The Greeks and Latins made the, Mufes, the Graces, and all the Virtues, females. Boileau was a good poet; but, not content with that, he wanted to pafs for a good fcholar. He had, in truth, a flender stock of erudition; and in this most of our celebrated English poets refemble him. He was more learned than Perrault; but that is по no mighty matter Nulla eft gloria prete-ire claudos. Doctor B. faid in a fermon, "An hypocrite is like a reed; fmooth without, and hollow within." It was a tollerable conundram; but he fpoilt all by adding," and toffed about with every blaft of wind." I heard the fame preacher fay, "If any one denies the uninterrupted fucceffion of bifhops, I fhall not fcruple to call him a downright Atheist." Nothing is more proper to form the mind and manners, than the ftudy of the Roman law. Every one." fays Vigneul-Marville, "who is of any confiderable rank in life, ought to have perufed with attention, once at leaft, the Institutes and the Code of Juftiinian: I am of the fame opinion; and I add to thefe the Theodofian Code, for the light which it gives to Ecclefiaftical History. Lord Bolingbroke calls Cafaubon a pedant." If by the word Pedant is to be understood a man who is fkilJed in the learned languages, Bolingbroke himself was affuredly no pedant: But, in the true fenfe of the word, he was one, in gradu fuperlativo. Good judges of compofition have pronounced the preface of Calvin to his Inftitutes, of Thuanus to his Hiftory, and of Cafaubon to Polybius, to be mafterpieces in their kind: but Bolingbroke had neither Latin enough to understand them, nor honesty enough to relish them. Jerome, in his life of Paul the hermit, fays, "that the fauns and fatyrs converfed with St. Antony, and intreated him to pray that they might obtain mercy from God, who came for the falvation of the whole world." A man who writes fuch things, must fuppofe all his readers to be fauns and fatyrs. The fame writer alfo informs us, that the gold, the filver, the ivory, the apes, and the peacocks, which came from Tarfbifh to Solomon, mean the writings of pagans, and of hereticks! There was at Ephefus a man of extraordinary abilities, called Hermodorus, whofe fuperior merit fo offended his fellow-citizens, that they banished him, and on that occafion made the following decree: Let no perfon amongst us excel the reft: If fuch an dre be found, let fim deport, and dowell elfe where. The philofopher Heraclitus fiid, that all the Ephefians, who were of age, deferved to be hanged, for affenting to fuch a law. Hermodorus, thus caft out, went to Italy, and took refuge at Rome; where the Barbarians (for fo the Greeks in thofe days accounted all, except themfelves,) received him with courtesy and respect; defired his athiftance in forming their body of laws, contained in the twelve tables; and rewarded him with a statue erected in the Forum. We have had fome powerful Dru ids and High Priefts, who would have liked a decree of the Ephefian kind concerning the clergy: If any Ecclefiaftic amongst us surpass others in learning and abilities, let him by all means be depreffed; and never permitted to rife above the ftation of a Curate. Juftin Martyr fays to the Jews, "God promifed that you should be as the fand on the fea-fhore; and so you are indeed, in more fenfes than one. You are as numerous, and you are as barren, and incapable of producing any thing good.." This is ingenious; and if all the allegorical interpretations of the old fathers were like it, we should at least be agreeably entertained. Letter Letter from Gorgon, a Painter of the deformea and terrible, to a Tragic Poet. * I DEAR DISMAL, Wait with impatience to hear of the fuccefs of your tragedy, and in the mean time have worked off a frontifpiece for it, that you, who have a paffion for the terrific, will be perfect ly charmed with. I am fcandalized when I hear people fay that the fine arts are protected in this country; nothing can be further from the truth, as I am one amongst many to witnefs. Painting I prefume will not be difputed to be one of the fine arts, and I may fay without vanity I have fome pretenfions to rank with the best of my brethren in that profeffion. My first ftudies were carried on in the capital of a certain county, where I was born; and being determined to chufe a striking fubject for my debut in the branch of portrait-painting, I perfuaded my grandmother to fit to me, and I am bold to fay there was great merit in my picture, confidering it as a maiden production; particularly in the execution of a hair-mole upon her chin, and a wart under her eye, which I touched to fuch a nicety, as to make every body start, who caft their eyes upon the canvas. There was a little dwarfish lad in the parish, who, befides the deformity of his perfon, had a remarkable hairlip, which exposed to view a broken row of difcoloured teeth, and was indeed a very brilliant fubject for a painter of effect: I gave a full length of him, that was executed fo to the life, as to turn the ftomach of every body, who looked upon it. At this time there came into our town a travelling fhow-man, who amongst other curiofities of the favage kind brought with him a man-ape, or Ourong-outong; and this perfon havVOL. XII. No 72. 3 E ing feen and admired my portrait of the little hump-backed dwarf, employed me to take the figure of his celebrated favage for the purpose of difplaying it on the outfide of his, booth. Such an occafion of introducing my art into notice spurred my genius to extraordinary exertions, and though I muft premife that the favage was not the best fitter in the world, yet I flatter myself I acquitted myself to the fatisfaction of his keeper and did juftice to the ferocity of my fubject: I caught him in one of his moft ftriking attitudes, ftanding erect with. a huge club in his paw: I put every muscle into play, and threw fuch a terrific dignity into his features, as would not have difgraced the character of a Nero or Caligula. I was happy to obferve the general notice which was taken of my performance by all the country folks, who reforted to the fhow, and I believe my employer had no caufe to repent of hav ing fet me upon the work. The figure of this animal with the club in his paw suggested a hist to a publican in the place of treating his ale-houfe with a new fign, and as he had been in the fervice of a noble family, who from antient time have borne the Bear and ragged staff for their creft, he gave me a comcifion. to provide him with a fign to that ef fect: Though I fpared no pains to get a real bear to fit to me for his por trait, my endeavours proved abortive, and I was forced to refort to fuch common prints of that animal as I could obtain, and trufted to my.ima gination for fupplying what else might. be wanted for the piece: As I work-... d upon this capital defign in the room where my grandmother's por. trait was before my eyes, it occurred * From the Observer, Vol. V. to |