TH •Nugaque canora. Hor. HERE is fcarce a Man living who is not actuated by Ambition. When this Principle meets with an honest Mind and great Abilities, it does infinite Service to the World; on the contrary, when a Man only thinks of diftinguishing himself, without being thus qualified for it, he becomes a very pernicious or a very ridiculous Creature. I fhall here confine my felf to that pretty kind of Ambition by which fome Men grow eminent for odd Accomplishments and trivial Performances. How many are there whofe whole Reputation depends upon a Pun or a Quibble? You may often see an Artist in the Streets gain a Circle of Admirers, by carrying a long Pole upon his Chin or Forehead in a perpendicular Pofture. Ambition has taught fome to write with their Feet, and others to walk upon their Hands. Some tumble into Fame, and others grow immortal by throwing themselves thro' a Hoop. Cætera de genere hoc adeò funt multa, loquacem I am led into this Train of Thought by an Adventure I lately met with. I was the other Day at a Tavern, where the Mafter of the House accommodating us himself with every Thing we wanted, I accidentally fell into a Difcourfe with him; and talking of a certain great Man, who fhall be nameless, he told me, That he had sometimes the Honour to treat him with a Whistle; (adding by the way of Parenthefis) For you must know, Gentlemen, that I while the beft of any Man in Europe. This naturally put me upon defiring him to give us a Sample of his Art & Art; upon which he called for a Case-knife, and applying the Edge of it to his Mouth, converted it into a musical Instrument, and entertained me with an Italian Solo. Upon laying down the Knife, he took up a Pair of clean Tobacco Pipes; and after having flid the fmall End of them over the Table in a moft melodious Trill, he fetched a Tune out of them, whistling to them at the fame Time in Confort. In short, the Tobacco Pipes became Musical Pipes in the Hands.of our Virtuofo; who confeffed to me ingenuously, he had broke fuch Quantities of them, that he had almost broke himself, before he had brought this Piece of Mufick to any tolerable Perfection. I then told him I would bring a Company of Friends to dine with him the next Week, as an Encouragement to his Ingenuity; upon which he thanked me, saying, That he would provide himself with a new Frying-pan against that Day. I replied, That it was no matter; Roast and Boil'd would ferve our Turn. He fmiled at my Simplicity, and told me, That it was his Defign to give us a Tune upon it. As I was surprised at fuch a Promise, he sent for an old Frying-pan, and grating it upon the Board, whiftled to it in fuch a melodious Manner, that you could fcarce diftinguish it from a Bafs-viol, He then took his Seat with us at the Table, and hearing my Friend that was with me humm over a Tune to himfelf, he told him, if he would fing out, he would accompany his Voice with a Tobacco-pipe. As my Friend has an agreeable Bafs, he chofe rather to fing to the Frying-pan; and indeed between them they made up a moft extraordinary Confort. Finding our Landlord fo great a Proficient in Kitchen-mufick, I asked him if he was Mafter of the Tongs and Key. He told me that he had laid it down fome Years fince, as a little unfashionable; but that if I pleased he would give me a Leffon upon the Gridiron. He then informed me that he had added two Bars to the Gridiron, in order to give it a greater Compafs of Sound; and I perceived was as well pleased with the Invention, as Sappho could have been upon adding two Strings to the Lute. To be fhort, I found that his whole Kitchen was furnished with with musical Instruments; and could not but look upon this Artist as a kind of Burlesque Musician. He afterwards of his own Accord fell into the Imitation of several finging Birds. My Friend and I toasted our Miftreffes to the Nightingale, when all of a fudden we were furpriz'd with the Musick of a Thrush. He next proceeded to the Sky-Lark, mounting up by a proper Scale of Notes, and afterwards falling to the Ground with a very eafy and regular Defcent. He then contracted his Whittle to the Voice of feveral Birds of the smallest Size. As he is a Man of a larger Bulk and higher Stature than ordinary, you would fancy him a Giant when you lool:'d upon him, and a TomTitt when you fhut your Eyes. I must not omit acquainting my Reader, that this accomplish'd Perfon was formerly the Mafter of a Toyshop near TempleBar; and that the famous Charles Mathers was bred up under him. I am told that the Misfortunes which he has met with in the World, are chiefly owing to his great- Application to his Mufick; and therefore cannot but recommend him to my Readers as one who deferves their Favour, and may afford them great Diverfion over a Bottle of Wine, which he fells at the Queen's Arms, near the End of the little Piazza in CoventGarden. No. 571. Friday, July 23. Calum quid quærimus ultra?. Luc. S the Work, I have engaged in, will not only confift of Papers of Humour and Learning, but of feveral Effays Moral and Divine, I fhall publish the following one, which is founded on a former SPECTATOR, and fent me by a particular Friend, not questioning but it will pleafe fuch of my Readers as think it no Difparagement to their Understandings to give way fometimes to a ferious Thought. SIR, IN N your Paper of Friday the 9th Inftant you had Oc cafion to confider the Ubiquity of the Godhead, and at the fame Time to fhew, that as he is prefent to every Thing, he cannot but be attentive to every Thing, and privy to all the Modes and Parts of its Existence; or, in other Words, that his Omniscience and Omniprefence are coexiftent, and run together through the whole Infinity of Space. This Confideration might furnish us with many Incentives to Devotion and Motives to Morality, but as this Subject has been handled by feveral excellent Writers, I fhall confider it in a Light wherein I have not feen it placed by others. Firft, How difconfolate is the Condition of an intellectual Being who is thus present with his Maker, but at the fame Time receives no extraordinary Benefit or Advantage from this his Prefence ! Secondly, How deplorable is the Condition of an intellectual Being, who feels no other Effects from this his Prefence but fuch as proceed from divine Wrath and Indignation! Thirdly, How happy is the Condition of that intellectual Being, who is fenfible of his Maker's Prefence from the fecret Effects of his Mercy and Loving-kindnefs. Firft, How difconfolate is the Condition of an intellectual Being, who is thus prefent with his Maker, but at the fame Time receives no extraordinary Benefit or Advantage from this his Prefence! Every Particle of Matter is actuated by this Almighty Being which paffes through it. The Heavens and the Earth, the Stars and Planets, move and gravitate by Virtue of this great Principle within them. All the dead Parts of Nature are invigorated by the Prefence of their Creator, and made capable of exerting their respective Qualities. The feveral Inftincts, in the brute Creation, do likewise operate and work towards the feveral Ends which are agreeable to them, by this divine Energy. Man 53 Man only, who does not co-operate with this holy Spirit, and is unattentive to his Prefence, receives none of thofe Advantages from it, which are perfective of his Nature, and neceffary to his Well-being. The Divinity is with him, and in him, and every where about him, but of no Advantage to him. It is the fame Thing to a Man without Religion, as if there were no God in the World. It is indeed impoffible for an infinite being to remove himself from any of his Creatures, but tho' he cannot withdraw his Effence from us, which would argue an Imperfection in him, he can withdraw from us all the Joys and Confolations of it. His Prefence may perhaps be neceffary to fupport us in our Exiftence; but he may leave this cur Existence to itself, with Regard to its Happiness or Mifery. For, in this Senfe, he may caft us away from his Prefence, and take his holy Spirit from us. This fingle Confideration one would think fufficient to make us open our Hearts to all thofe Infufions of Joy and Gladness which are fo near at Hand, and ready to be poured in upon us; efpecially when we confider, Secondly, The deplorable Condition of an intellectual Being who feels no other Effects from his Maker's Prefence, but fuch as proceed from divine Wrath and Indignation! WE may affure ourselves that the great Author of Nature will not always be as one, who is indifferent to any of his Creatures. Those who will not feel him in his Love, will be fure at length to feel him in his Difpleasure. And how dreadful is the Condition of that Creature, who is only fenfible of the Being of his Creator by what he suffers from him! He is as effentially prefent in Hell as in Heaven, but the Inhabitants of thofe accurfed Places behold him only in his Wrath, and fhrink within the Flames to conceal themselves from him. It is not in the Power of Imagination to conceive the fearful Effects of Omnipotence incenfed. BUT I fall only confider the Wretchedness of an intellectual Being, who, in this Life, lies under the Displeasure of him, that at all Times and in all Places. |