thoughts but of the highest respect and efteem towards her. I was fhewed laft week a picture in a lady's clofet, for which she had an hundred different dreffes, that she could clap on round the face, on purpose to demonftrate the force of habits in the diverfity of the fame countenance. Motion, and change of posture and afpect, has an effect no lefs furprising on the person of Mariamne when the dances. Chloe is extremely pretty, and as filly as fhe is pretty. This idiot has a very good ear, and a moft agreeable fhape; but the folly of the thing is fuch, that it fmiles fo impertinently, and affects to please fo fillily, that while fhe dances you fee the fimpleton from head to foot. For you must know (as trivial as this art is thought to be) no one ever was a good dancer, that had not a good understanding. If this be a truth, I fhall leave the reader to judge from that maxim, what esteem they ought to have for fuch impertinents as fly, hop, caper, tumble, twirl, turn 1ound, and jump over their heads, and in a word, play a thousand pranks which many animals can do better than a man, instead of performing to perfection what the human figure only is capable of performing. It may perhaps appear odd, that I, who fet up for a mighty lover, at least, of virtue, fhould take fo much pains to recommend what the foberer part of mankind look upon to be a trifle; but under favour of the fo. berer part of mankind, I think they have not enough. confidered this matter, and for that reafon only dif efteem it. I must also, in my own juftification, fay that 1 attempt to bring into the fervice of honour and virtue every thing in nature that can pretend to give elegant delight. It may poffibly be proved, that vice is. in itself destructive of pleasure, and virtue in itself conducive to it. If the delights of a free fortune were under proper "regulations, this truth would not want much argument to fupport it; but it would be obvious to every man, that there is a ftrict affinity between all things that are truly laudable and beautiful, from the highest fentiment of the foul, to the most indifferent gefture of the body. T Tuesday, 0000000000000000000 0000 00000000 00000000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 COQO 6000. Quodcunque meæ poterunt audere camæne, Seu tibi par poterunt; feu, quod fpes abnuit, ultrà; } Tibull. ad Meffalam, Eleg. 1.1. 4. v. 245 Whate'er my mufe adventurous dares indite, Whether the nicenefs of thy piercing fight Applaud my lays, or cenfure what I write ; : To thee 1 fing, and hope to borrow fame By adding to my page Meffala's name T HE love of praife is a paffion deeply fixed in the mind of every extraordinary person, and thofe who are most affected with it, feem moft to partake of that particle of the divinity which distinguishes mankind from the inferior creation. The Supreme Being itfelf is most pleased with praife and thanksgiving; the other part of our duty is but an acknowledgement of our faults, whilft this is the immediate adoration of his perfections. 'Twas an excellent obfervation, that we then only defpife commendation when we cease to de-ferve it and we have ftill extant two orations of Tully and Pliny, spoken to the greatest and best princes of all the Roman emperors, who, no doubt, heard with the greateft fatisfaction, what even the most disinterested perfons, and at fo large a distance of time, cannot read without admiration. Cæfar thought his life confifted in the breath of praife, when he profeffed he had lived long enough for himself when he had for his glory. Others have facrificed themselves for a name which was not to begin till they were dead, giving away themselves to purchase a found which was not to commence till they were out of hearing: But by merit and fuperior excellencies not only to gain, but, whilft living, to enjoy a great great and univerfal reputation, is the laft degree of happiness which we can hope for here. Bad characters are difperfed abroad with profuficn, I hope for example fake, and (as punishments are defigned by the civil power) more for the deterring the innocent, than the. chaftifing the guilty. The good are lefs frequent, whether it be that there are indeed fewer originals of this kind to copy after, or that, thro' the malignity of our nature we rather delight in the ridicule than the virtues we find in othors. However it is but juft, as well as plea. fing, even for variety, fometimes to give the world a reprefentation of the bright fide of human nature, as well as the dark and gloomy: The defire of imitation may, perhaps, be a greater incentive to the practice of what is good, than the averfion we may conceive at what is blameable; the one immediately directs you what you fhould do, whilft the other only fhews you what you should avoid : And I cannot at prefent do this with more fatisfaction, than by endeavouring to do fome juftice to the character of Manilius. It would far exceed my prefent defign, to give a particular description of Manilius thro' all the parts of his excellent life: I shall now only draw him in his retirement, and pafs over in filence the various arts, the courtly manners, and the undefigning honefty by which he attained the honours he has enjoyed, and which now give a dignity and veneration to the ease he does enjoy. "Tis here that he looks back with pleafure on the waves and billows thro' which he has steered to fo fair an haven; he is now intent upon the practice of every virtue, which a great knowledge and ufe of mankind has difcovered to be the most useful to them. Thus in his private domestick employments he is no lefs glorious than in his publick; for 'tis in reality a more difficult talk to be confpicuous in a fedentary inactive life, than in one that is spent in hurry and bufinefs; perfons engaged in the latter, like bodies violently agitated, from the fwiftnefs of their motion have a brightness added to them, which often vanishes when they are at reft; but if it then ftill remain, it must be the feeds of intrinfic worth that thus fhine out without any foreign aid or afistance. His His liberality in another might almost bear the name of profufion; he feems to think it laudable even in the excefs, like that river which most enriches when it overflows: But Manilius has too perfect a taste of the pleasure of doing good, ever to let it be out of his power; and for that reafon he will have a juft oecocomy, and a fpendid frugality at home, the fountain from whence thofe ftreams fhould flow which he disperses abroad. He looks with disdain on thofe who propose their death as the time when they are to begin their munificence; he will both fee and enjoy (which he then does in the highest degree) what he beftows himself; he will be the living executor of his own bounty, whilft they who have the happiness to be within his care and patronage, at once pray for the continuation of his life, and their own good fortune. No one is out of the reach of his obligations; he knows how, by proper and becoming methods, to raise himself to a level with those of the highest rank; and his good-nature is a fufficient warrant against the want of those who are fo unhappy as to be in the very lowest. One may fay of him, as Pindar bids his mufe fay of Theron. Swear, that Theron fure has fworn, Swear, that none e'er had such a graceful art, With an unenvious band, and an unbounded heart. } Never did Atticus fuceeed better in gaining the univerfal love and efteem of all men; nor fteer with more fuccefs between the extremes of two contending parties. 'Tis his peculiar happiness, that while he efpoufes neither with an intemperate zeal, he is not only admired, but, what is a more rare and unufual felicity, he is beloved and careffed by both; and I never yet saw any perfon of whatever age or fex, but was immediately ftruck with the merit of Manilius. There are many who are acceptable to fome particular perfons, whilft the reft of mankind look upon them with coldnefs and indifference; but he is the firft whofe intire good fortane it is ever to please and to be pleased, where-ever he comes to be admired, admired, and where-ever he is abfent to be lamented. His merit fares like the pictures of Raphael, which are either feen with admiration by all, or at least no one dare own he has no tafte for a compofition which has received fo univerfal an applaufe. Envy and malice find it against their intereft to indulge flander and obloquy. 'Tis as hard for an enemy to detract from, as for a friend to add to his praife. An attempt upon his reputation is a fure leffening of one's own; and there is but one way to injure him, which is to refufe him his just commendations, and be obftinately filent. It is below him to catch the fight with any care of drefs; his outward garb is but the emblem of his mind. It is genteel, plain, and unaffected; he knows that gold and embroidery can add nothing to the opinion which all have of his merit, and that he gives a luftre to the plaineft drefs, whilft 'tis impoffible the richeft fhould communicate any to him. He is ftill the principal figure in the room: He firft engages your eye, as if there were fome point of light which fhone stronger upon him than on any other perfon. He puts me in mind of a story of the famous Buffy d'Amboife, who at an affembly at court, where every one appeared with the utmost magnificence, relying upon his own fuperior behaviour, inftead of adorning himself like the reft, put on that day a plain fuit of clothes, and dreffed all his fervants in the most coftly gay habits he could procure: The event was, that the eyes of the whole court were fixed upon him, all the rest looked like his attendants, whilft he alone had the air of a perfon of quality and diftinction. Like Ariftippus, whatever fhape or condition he appears in, it still fits free and eafy upon him; but in fome part of his character, 'tis true, he differs from him; for as he is altogether equal to the largeness of his prefent circumflances, the rectitude of his judgment has fo far corrected the inclinations of his ambition, that he will not trouble himself with either the defires or purfuits of any thing beyond his prefent enjoyments. A thoufand obliging things flow from him upon every occafion, and they are always fo just and natural, that it is impoffible to think he was at the least pains to look for them. |