161 to difturb us before they happen; becaufe, if the breast be once laid open to the dread of mere poffi bilities of mifery, life must be given a prey to difmal folicitude, and quiet must be loft for ever. It is remarked by old Cornaro, that it is abfurd to be afraid of the natural diffolution of the body; because it must certainly happen, and can, by no caution or artifice, be avoided. Whether this fentiment be entirely juft, I fhall not examine; but certainly, if it be improper to fear events which muft happen, it is yet more evidently contrary to right reafon to fear those which may never happen, and which, if they should come upon us, we cannot refift. As we ought not to give way to fear any more than indulgence to hope, because the objects both of fear and hope are yet uncertain, fo we ought not to truft the reprefentations of one more than of the other, because they are both equally fallacious; as hope enlarges happiness, fear aggravates calamity. It is generally allowed, that no man ever found the happiness of poffeffion proportionate to that expectation which incited his defire, and invigorated his purfuit; nor has any man found the evils of life fo formidable in reality, as they were defcribed to him by his own imagination; every fpecies of diftrefs brings with it fome peculiar fupports, fome unforeseen means of refifting, or power of enduring. Taylor justly blames fome pious perfons, who indulge their fancies too much, fet themselves, by the force of imagination, in the place of the ancient martyrs and confeffors, and queftion the validity of their own faith because they fhrink at the thoughts of flames and tortures. It is, fays he, fufficient that you are able to encounter the temptations which now affault you; when God fends trials, he may send strength. All All fear is in itself painful, and when it conduces not to safety is painful without ufe. Every confideration, therefore, by which groundless terrors may be removed, adds fomething to human happinefs. It is likewife not unworthy of remark, that in proportion as our cares are employed upon the future, they are abftracted from the prefent, from the only time which we can call our own, and of which if we neglect the duties, to make provifion against vifionary attacks, we fhall certainly counteract our own purpofe; for he, doubtlefs, mistakes his true intereft, who thinks that he can increase his fafety, when he impairs his virtue. NUMB. 30. SATURDAY, June 30, 1750. -Vultus ubi tuus ffulfit populo, gratior it dies, Et foles melius nitent. Whene'er thy countenance divine Th' attendant people cheers, The genial funs more radiant fhine, Mr. RAMBLER, HOR. ELPHINSTON. THERE are few tasks more ungrateful, than for perfons of modesty to fpeak their own praifes. In fome cafes, however, this must be done for the general good, and a generous fpirit will on fuch occafions affert its merit, and vindicate itself with becoming warmth. My circumftances, fir, are very hard and peculiar. Could the world be brought to treat me as I deferve, it would be a publick benefit. This makes me apply to you, that my cafe being fairly stated in a a paper fo generally efteemed, I may suffer no longer from ignorant and childish prejudices. My elder brother was a Jew. A very respect able perfon, but fomewhat auftere in his manner : highly and defervedly valued by his near relations and intimates, but utterly unfit for mixing in a larger fociety, or gaining a general acquaintance among mankind. In a venerable old age he retired from the world, and I in the bloom of youth came into it, fucceeding him in all his dignities, and formed, as I might reasonably flatter myself, to be the object of univerfal love and efteem. Joy and gladnefs were born with me; chearfulness, good humour and benevolence always attended and endeared my infancy. That time is long paft. So long, that idle imaginations are apt to fancy me wrinkled, old, and difagreeable; but, unless my looking-glafs deceives me, I have not yet loft one charm, one beauty of my earlieft years. However, thus far is too certain, I am to every body juft what they chufe to think me, so that to very few I appear in my right shape; and though naturally I am the friend of human-kind, to few, very few comparatively, am I ufeful or agreeable. This is the more grievous, as it is utterly impoffible for me to avoid being in all forts of places and companies; and I am therefore liable to meet with perpetual affronts and injuries. Though I have as natural an antipathy to cards and dice, as fome people have to a cat, many and many an affembly am I forced to endure; and though reft and compofure are my peculiar joy, am worn out, and harraffed to death with journies by men and women of quality, who never take one, but when I can be of the party. Some, on a contrary extreme, will never receive me but in bed, where they spend at least half of the time I have to ftay with them; and others are so monftroufly ill bred as to take phyfick on on purpose when they have reason to expect me. Those who keep upon terms of more politeness with me, are generally fo cold and constrained in their behaviour, that I cannot but perceive myself an unwelcome gueft; and even among perfons deferving of esteem, and who certainly have a value for me, it is too evident that generally whenever I come I throw a dulnefs over the whole company, that I am entertained with a formal ftiff civility, and that they are glad when I am fairly gone. How bitter muft this kind of reception be to one formed to infpire delight, admiration and love! To one capable of answering and rewarding the greateft warmth and delicacy of fentiments! I was bred up among a fet of excellent people, who affectionately loved me, and treated me with the utmoft honour and refpect. It would be tedious to relate the variety of my adventures, and strange viciffitudes of my fortune in many different countries. Here in England there was a time when I lived according to my heart's defire. Whenever I appeared, publick affemblies appointed for my reception were crowded with perfons of quality and fashion, early dreft as for a court, to pay me their devoirs. Chear ful hofpitality every where crowned my board, and I was looked upon in every country parish as a kind of focial bond between the 'fquire, the parfon, and the tenants. The laborious poor every where bleft my appearance: they do fo ftill, and keep their best clothes to do me honour; though as much as I delight in the honeft country folks, they do now and then throw a pot of ale at my head, and sometimes an unlucky boy will drive his cricket-ball full in my face. Even in these my best days there were perfons who thought me too demure and grave. I must forfooth by all means be inftructed by foreign mafters, and taught to dance and play. This method of of education was fo contrary to my genius, formed for much nobler entertainments, that it did not fucceed at all. I fell next into the hands of a very different set. They were fo exceffively scandalized at the gayety of my appearance, as not only to defpoil me of the foreign fopperies, the paint and the patches that I had been tricked out with by my last misjudging tutors, but they robbed me of every innocent ornament I had from my infancy been used to gather in the fields and gardens; nay they blacked my face, and covered me all over with a habit of mourning, and that too very coarse and aukward. I was now obliged to spend my whole life in hearing fermons ; nor permitted fo much as to fmile upon any occafion. In this melancholy difguife I became a perfect bugbear to all children and young folks. Wherever I came there was a general hufh, an immediate ftop to all pleasantnefs of look or difcourfe; and not being permitted to talk with them in my own language at that time, they took such a disgust to me in those tedious hours of yawning, that having tranfmitted it to their children, I cannot now be heard, though it is long fince I have recovered my natural form, and pleafing tone of voice. Would they but receive my vifits kindly, and liften to what I could tell them-let me fay it without vanity-how charming a companion should I be! to every one could I talk on the fubjects moft interefting and moft pleafing. With the great and ambitious, I would difcourfe of honours and advancements, of diftinctions to which the whole world fhould be witnefs, of unenvied dignities and durable preferments. To the rich I would tell of inexhaustible treasures, and the fure method to attain them. I would teach them to put out their money on the best intereft, and inftruct the lovers of pleasure how to fecure and improve it to the highest |