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Dublin.
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Arbuckle,
Hibernicus's Letters:
OR, A
Philofophical Mifcellany.
Containing (among many others) ESSAYS
on the following Uſeful and Entertaining
Subjects, vis
of Happineſs.
Of imaginary Ev
Of Beauty.
Of Caftle-buildin
Of falfe Contem
World.
Of Witches and Appar
Of the Art of Printing.
Of Laughter and Ridicule.
Of Falfe Tafte.
Of Ufeless Studies.
Of Toleration.
Of Solitude.
Of Epiftolary Writing.
Of the Fable of the Bees.
Of the Happineſs of former
Times compared with the
prefent.
Of National Frugality.
Of Liberty.
aming.
luftry.
hions.
omen.
e on Dr. Burnet's Re-
¿ctions on Human Life.
ne Opinion of a Siamese on
the Religion of Great Britain.
Religion vindicated from the
Character of Morofenefs.
The Vanity of Cicero and Mon-
tagne vindicated.
The Uſefulneſs of Modern
Tranflations of Ancient
Books.
The Character of Anacreon,
with a Specimen of his
Writings.
Remains of Archdeacon Par-
nel, &c.
Interfperfed with_feveral Original POEMS and
Tranflations.
Written by ſeveral Eminent Hands in Dublin,
VOL. I.
The SECOND EDITION, with a compleat Alphabetical Index.
LONDON:
·Printed and Sold by the Bookſellers of London and
Westminster, 1734-
ľ
825
A666 hi
1734.
Vil
G.L
Gift
Louis I Bredvold
7-29-57
1
9-91-21
Hibernicus's Letters.
N° 1.
Saturday, April 3, 1725.
To the Author of the DUBLIN Journal.
Hoc
nempe ab homine exigitur, ut profit
hominibus, fi fieri poteft, multis; ſi mi-
nus, paucis; fiminus, proximis ; fi minus,
fibi. Nam cum fe utilem cæteris efficit,
commune agit negotium.
SENECA.
SIR,
"I
6
HAVE been always of opinion,
that a great Part of the Grievan-
ces we in this Kingdom com-
plain of, have been in a good
• meaſure owing to our felves. And tho I
• am very far from juſtifying the real Hard-
fhips we fuffer, or any Attempts to make
them greater; yet I muſt ſtill think our
"
Vol. I.
B
• Misfortunes
+
2
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
،
• Misfortunes are rather owing to our own
ill Conduct, than to any ill Difpofitions
of others againſt us. Among the many
Inftances that might be given of this, I
'fhall only pitch upon one, wherein the
Intereft of Learning in our Country is fo
nearly concerned, that I perfuade my ſelf,
I fhall at leaſt be juftified in it by all thofe,
who either have, or fanfy they have got
• more Knowledge than they have occafion
for themſelves, and ſo think they are obli-
ged to make the Publick a Preſent of
⚫ their Superfluities.
6
·
"
،
WE all complain, and I am afraid with
but too much Reaſon, Of the great Scar-
city of Money; and yet at the fame time,
we are not afham'd to beſtow every Year
confiderable Sums in purchafing feveral
• Commodities from our Neighbours, which
we might be as well and cheaply furnished
with at home. There are few Corporati-
ons in this City, who do not ſuſtain great
Damages by this very Article. But having
• no Inftructions from any of them to ſpeak
a Word in their favour, I fhall at prefent
• confine my ſelf to the fingle Inftance al-
ready hinted at, which is the great Fond-
nefs we expreſs at all times for the Wri-
tings of our Neighbours, while we deſpiſe
and decry every thing of that fort, that is
produced among ourſelves.
<
a
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 3
<
I own, good Writers are a pretty great
Rarity in this Country. But what is the
Reaſon why it is fo? No other, in fhort,
than that wanting fuitable Encouragement
at home, Men of Genius and Education,
born in this Kingdom, are forced out of it
to a more kindly Soil, for making a For-
tune by their Abilities. Many an excellent
• Piece has been conceived among our
Hibernian Bugs, which now paffes as the
genuine Production of Cam or Ifis. And
England boaſts among her illuftrious Names,
that have excell'd in Arts as well as Arms,
• Multitudes that had the Misfortune to be
born in Ireland. We beſtow the Orna-
ments of our own Nation to our Neigh-
bours, and then pay them a dear Rate for
⚫ the Ufe of them at fecond hand.
<
But this is not all. If a good Piece
happens at any time to be wrote among
• our felves, there is ſcarce one in ten will
vouchſafe it a reading, unleſs it be made
authentick by being printed at London.
• Thus our Brains being manufactured abroad,
become an Expenſe to the Nation; and
we are forced to make a Purchaſe of Our
• own Wit and Learning, which hereby are
made hurtful to their native Soil, where,
in Gratitude, they ought to ſhed their firſt
• and kindeſt Influence.
<
FOR this Reafon, I cannot but be ex-
tremely pleaſed with the Refolution you
have taken of publiſhing a Weekly Paper,
4.
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
1
that may ſupply this Country with a good
"Collection of the Publick News, without
that General Expenſe we are at' in fetching
a whole Tribe of Journals from London.
I wish your Defign may meet with a fuita-
⚫ble Succefs; and for the Encouragement of
it, I can tell you, that feveral honeſt Gen-
⚫tlemen have refolved to make your Paper
a Canal, for conveying to the Publick fome
little Effays they have lying on their
Hands, that may either inftruct fome of
your Readers, or be amufing to others, at
leaſt in a Scarcity of News, which is no
great Rarity to us, for about fix Months
in the Year.
6
<
I WOULD not however have you ex-
pect, that you ſhall be furniſh'd with much
of that fort of Difcourfe, which is the ufual
Entertainment we receive from our Weekly
• Writers; I mean Politicks.
It is very
·
<
true, that Religion and Government are
the nobleft and moſt uſeful Subjects that
can exerciſe the Thought and Reafon of
• Mankind. But at the fame time I do not
apprehend that the Ends of writing upon
them will be beft promoted, by making
them the everlaſting Theme of our Publick
Papers. When a Conftitution is in vifible
Danger; when a State is overrun with an
univerfal Corruption; or when Tyranny and
Superftition are breaking in upon a People;
then indeed it is Time, and the indifpen-
fible Duty of every one that is able, to
C
6
.
C
•
toufe.
HIBERNICUS's -
5
Letters.
6
6
roufe the latent Spirit of Liberty, and fet
his Fellow Citizens on their Guard. But
as (God be praiſed) none of theſe is our
Cafe at prefent, I cannot fee any Neceffity,
why we ſhould be always talking in the
Dialect of State fmen, or examining the
Principles of a Leviathan, or an Oceana.
Nor to what Purpoſe it can ferve to fet a
• Cobler a mending the Conftitution, or make
a poor Taylor imagine himſelf capable to
cut out Work for the great Council of the
• Nation.
6
To ferve the Publick to the utmoſt of
his Ability, is, no doubt, every Man's
Duty and his Honour. But then, to do
this, is it abfolutely requifite, that every
body ſhould be made acquainted with the
• Foundations and Original of Government;
or taught to reafon upon Tranfactions of
State, like the Demagogues among the Gre-
⚫cian Commonwealths? No; the true way
C
6
to reform a State is to begin at home, and
⚫ reform ourſelves firft. Corruption in an
Adminiſtration has always its Rife from
Corruption of Manners. Tyranny it felf
is but the Offspring of Fear begot upon
Luft. No Man ever made an ill Governor,
that was not an ill Man firft. Have not
Luxury, Pride and Idleneſs been always
the Source of publick Calamity and Mifery;
and the contrary Virtues the chief Thing
that ever made any People or Nation great
for flouriſhing? Name me the Conſtitution
•
C
B 3
• that
6
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
that was ever invaded by a Man of Virtue,
or the State that ever fell, while its Sub-
jects kept up a Character of Temperance,
Sobriety, and Induftry. The Whole muſt
always receive its Complexion from the
Colour of the Parts of which it is com-
pofed; and confequently the Appearance
of a Country in its Oeconomy, Admini-
ftrations, and Orders, will be ever in the
• Tincture of thofe Qualities, whether vir-
tuous or vitious, which its Inhabitants
have imbibed.
6
•
C
6
&
THERE is a very great Reſemblance
betwixt publick and private Liberty. The
former, I think, is generally taken to con-
fiſt in being govern'd by Laws of our own
making; and the latter, which is Freedom
of the Mind, is no more than conducting
our felves by thofe everlaſting Rules of Rea-
fon, to which we either have already af
fented, or must give our Affent to, upon
the ſmalleſt Degree of Reflection. To
bridle in our Paffions, to direct them to
their proper Objects, and conquer the Pre-
judices occafion'd by ill Cuſtom and Ex-
ample, is the pureft and moſt perfect Freedom
we can enjoy in our private Capacities. It
is this alone can mortify in us that Luft of
Power, that makes Men uneafy to them-
felves, and pernicious to others. For there
⚫ is no Charm in Power it felf, any farther
than as it is the Inftrument to gratify ſome
* other darling Inclination. He therefore
ર
८
6
6
! that
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
7
C
that reftrains his evil Appetites, not only
preferves the Freedom of his own Mind,
• but contributes in fome Degree to the
Safety of the publick Liberty, in leffening
the Number of thofe, by one Man at leaſt,
• that can have either Intereft or Pleaſure in
deftroying it.
"
<
"
C
THESE Confiderations ſhou'd, I think,
influence thofe Gentlemen that write for
the Publick, to make the Duties of Men in
⚫ common Life more frequently the Subject
of their Performances, than we find com-
monly done. It is certainly much more
laudable to infpire Men with noble and
generous Sentiments, to reform a vitious
Tafte, and cure them of their Follies and
Prejudices; than it is to fill their Heads
with a ſet of Notions that are of little
other Ufe, than to be evaporated in a
Coffee-houſe.
C
<
6
<
I INTEND therefore, Sir, in the Courfe
of my Correſpondence with you, to furniſh
you with nothing but what may fome way
or other be conducive to thofe Ends I
' have been mentioning. I fhall leave it to
my Brother Authors to make their Readers
⚫ as confummate in the Arts of Government
as they pleaſe, and content my felf with
endeavouring to make mine look into what
paffes in their own Bofoms, and fupprefs
every thing there that may interrupt that
inward Peace and Satisfaction, which the
Author of Nature has fo bountifully fup-
R
8
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
}
<
C
<
plied us with the Means of obtaining. But
in the purſuit of this Defign I fhall not
perhaps be at all times in the fame grave
Strain, but conform my felf a little to the
• Humour of the Age we live in. I have
feen it fomewhere or other call'd a Laugh-
ing Age, which tho I do not look upon to
be an extraordinary Compliment to it, in
regard, People that are always a laughing
feem but to live in jeft; yet I think, there
is no harm in being now and then a little
merry, and giving Virtue the Dreſs of good
Humour, which her flaunting Rival has fo
often, but aukwardly, ftrutted in. And fo
without any farther Ceremony, either with
you, or the Reader, I take my leave for
the prefent, and am,
6
6
6
દ
Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
Saturday,
/ }
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 9
N° 2.
Saturday, April 10.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Omnino fortis animus, & magnus, duabus
rebus maxime cernitur; quarum una in
rerum externarum defpicientia ponitur,
cum perfuafum fit, nihil hominem, nifi
quod honeftum decorumque fit, aut admi-
rari, aut optare, aut cxpetere oportere;
nullique neque homini, neque perturba-
tioni animi, nec fortuna fuccumbere.
SIR,
A
CICERO.
MONG all the Queſtions that
have ever been handled in the
Schools, or exerciſed the Thoughts
of curious and fpeculative Minds,
there is none has raiſed more Duft, made
greater Noiſe, or been argued with fuch Length
and Solemnity of Difputation, as the Inquiry
into the Origin of Evil. Much Time and La-
bour have been spent in tracing the Cauſe,
that might have been far more uſefully em-
ployed in attempting the Cure. For I be-
lieve, after all the Learning that has been
wafted, and the Volumes that have been
་
10
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
writ on this Subject, it requires but a very
flender Acquaintance either with the World,
or our own Hearts, to be convinced, that
moſt of the Evils we hear People every
day complaining of, are either none at all,
or are owing to a perverted Senſe of Life,
and its Enjoyments. We fettle our Affec-
tions on Objects, that have no relation to
our Happineſs; and neglecting the real
Goods of Life, repine at Providence for not
granting us what we will not receive: like
fickly People, who accufe their Nouriſhment
of a Fault, that only lies in their Appetite.
While the bountiful Hand of Heaven is daily
reaching out to us Bleffings without Number,
we languish for Trifles, and fink to the
Grave for things that have only an imagi-
nary Exiſtence. Nay, fo far have we carried
this unaccountable Humour, as fometimes
to express our Pity for thoſe Indolent People,
who have not Ambition enough to be as un-
happy as ourſelves.
I Do not fpeak thus, as if I thought
there were no fuch Thing as real Mifery in
the World, or that fome Circumſtances
and Accidents of Life did not neceffarily
create in us Pain and Uneafinefs. This were
a flat Contradiction both to Nature and
Reaſon. And to talk in fuch a manner to
one in an Agony of bodily Pain, ſtruggling
with Want and Adverfity, deprived of his
Liberty, or mourning the Death of a faithful
and affectionate Friend; would be an Infult,
inſtead
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
11
inftead of affording Confolation to the Suf
ferer. Human Nature is not able to preſerve
it felf immoveable under Shocks of this fort ;
tho Reflection and good Senfe may contri-
bute much to hinder it from finking intirely
under them. But if we look into the World
with the ſmalleſt Degree of Attention, we
fhall find, that moft of the Afflicted and
Diftreffed we meet with in it, have none
of thefe Difficulties to combat with, but
owe their Griefs to quite different Cauſes.
It is a melancholy Reflection, and not very
honourable to Mankind, but yet it is a Truth,
That most of the forrowful Countenances
we behold, owe their Difcompoſure
Caufes infinitely lefs important than thofe
which the Dexterity of a Tooth-Drawer or
Corn-Cutter can remove.
to
THE Want of a due Balance to our
Affections, where the Objects are worthy
our Love and Regard, is what runs us into
an Excefs in Enjoyment, and conſequently
muft terminate in Violence of Sorrow, when-
ever the Objects are withdrawn. This is
one great Source of Unhappinefs. But a
falſe Eſtimate of the Worth of Things, and
their Aptnefs to procure us folid Pleaſure and
lafting Satisfaction, is another and greater.
When we overlook the Neceffaries, and eafy
Accommodations of Life we are in poffeffion
of, and fuffer the Imagination to run in chaſe
of foreign Objects, it is fcarce poffible but
we must meet with endleſs Diſappointments.
IC
12
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
If our Defires exceed the Limits of Nature,
how can we propofe to gratify them? And
are not all thofe Defires unnatural and ex-
ceffive, whofe Objects are either fictitious,
or at leaſt of ſuch a Kind, that rational Joy
and Delight may be obtain'd without them?
INNUMERABLE Inftances might be given
of this falfe and vitiated Tafte in Mankind,
at leaſt in the prefent Age. A Kennel of
Dogs is the Summum Bonum of many a
Rural Squire; and his Brother Animals en-
joy more of his Company, and feem, indeed,
to be much nearer related to him, than any.
of his Family. The Beau Monde are fet
upon Drefs and Show, and have their Affec-
tions as full of Embroidery, and Tinfel, as
their Clothes. Among the Fair Sex; a Tea
Equipage is very frequently the higheft of
their Wishes; and an involuntary Fracture
committed there, more grievously reſented,
than a wilful and premeditated one upon
their Honour. Parrots and Monkeys, Lap-
dogs and Squirrels, have been notable In-
ftances of our univerfal Benevolence; and
· engroffed a great deal of that Care and Ten-
dernefs, which in the more early and un-
polite Ages of the World, uſed to be appro-
priated to Fathers, Husbands, and Children.
Bur it is not the gay and unthinking Part
of Mankind alone, that has got into this
whimſical Tafte. The Cloſets of great Men,
and the Cabinets of the Curious can furniſh
us with wonderful Materials, for proving
how
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Letters. 13
how wifely we conduct ourſelves in our
Elections of Pleaſures. We have feen Men
carrying the Mien and Garb of Philofophers,
run riot on the Rubbiſh and Refufe of Nature,
provided it only bore the Character of fome-
thing ſtrange and exotick. Ineſtimable Trea-
fures have been fished out of the Guts of an
Oyſter; and a prodigious Luxury found, or
imagined, in the Spoils of a Broomstick, late-
ly returned from demoliſhing a Cobweb.
IT is evident at the firft view, that Pur-
fuits of this fort, however fucceſsful, can
never procure us true and durable Felicity,
tho a Diſappointment in them be very capa-
ble of giving us Grief and Uneafinefs. And
for the fame Reaſon, the Purſuits of Avarice
and Ambition, which are the governing Paffi-
ons of the buſy World, are fubject to the
fame Inconveniences, becauſe they aim at
fomething more than Nature allows: Or if
they do not, at leaſt they defeat their own
Ends, by engaging Mens Attention too
much, and over-long to the Means. For all
the Advantage that can be in Power, the
Object of Ambition, if we examine Things
cloſely, will be found to be no more than
the fecuring ourſelves, and thoſe we love,
from the Infults of others: And all that there
is in Wealth, befides the Name, is only the
Means it affords us of fupplying the Neceffi-
ties of Life, or of gratifying our innocent
Inclinations to Pleaſure. But none of theſe
Ends ſeem to be at all in view among the
+
great
~
14 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
great Contenders for Empire, or Riches; but,
as far as Experience goes, rather the contrary.
It ſeems to be here as it is in Hunting, the
Pleaſure of the Chafe is more valued than the
Purchaſe of the Prey, tho the latter is the
only Reaſon that can juſtify the Toil of the
former.
THUS by reflecting more on what we
want, than what we have, we facrifice our
preſent Peace to airy Expectation, and ex-
change a real Good for one we can never
obtain. To follow Nature is the true way
both to Peace and Pleafure; and Nature has
not been niggardly in furniſhing us with Ob-
jects cheap and eafy, fuitable to the Defires
ſhe has implanted. But if we will grafp at
fomething more, it is no wonder we fhould
meet with a Diſappointment; and that the
Paths of Life fhould be found fo full of Per-
plexities and Sorrows, by People that are at
fo much pains to throw themſelves in the
way of them.
FOR my own part, I am furpriz'd, that
any Man who has Health and Liberty, can
repine at his Condition. Did we but confider
what Advantages we enjoy beyond what we
mifs, we ſhould find more Reafon for Joy and
Gratitude, than for Sorrow and Diſcontent.
The Wants of Nature lie in a narrow Com-
pafs; and the more fublime Enjoyments of
Reafon and Benevolence are equally free to
the lower Rank of Mankind, as to the rich
and the powerful.
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
15
A MODERATE Fortune, it is true, will
not allow us a ftately Houſe, elegant Gar-
dens, fine Equipage, and numerous Atten-
dants; but then, it is free from that Multi-
plicity of Cares to which a greater Affluence
is expoſed: And the great Pleaſures of Life
continue much the fame in both States. The
Window of a Cottage may afford as many
beautiful Objects, as the Gallery of a Prince.
And why ſhould we languiſh for the Copies,
when we can enjoy the Originals, or at leaſt
Originals of the fame Kind, and equally
lovely, without employing the Hand of a
Titian or Caraccio? The meaneft Habitation
may ſtill be confidered as an Apartment of
the great Univerfe; and we need but go into
the open Air, to ſee how magnificently and
commodiouſly we are lodg'd.
Bur narrow Circumftances will not per-
mit us to do all the Good we cou'd with
;
and this to a generous Mind muſt be trouble-
ſome and uneafy. Humanity will juſtify a
Sorrow of this kind, but Reafon will very
quickly alleviate it; fince a virtuous Man, if
truly fuch, may rejoice in the Profperity of
the Virtuous, as much as if himſelf had con-
tributed to it. And Things are not commonly
fo ill diftributed in the World, but we have
frequent Occafions of rejoicing on this ſcore.
At the worst, there is even a Pleaſure in
wiſhing well, when we can do no more.
WHEN we lie under Contempt, and are
juſtly made the Subject of Cenfure and Re-
16 HIBERNICUS's Letters:
proach, it is our own fault if that can do us
any great Hurt. We have the Remedy in our
own Breaſts, and can fortify ourſelves in our
Integrity. True Courage never exerts it felf
fo much, as when it is moſt preffed; and it
is then we moſt enjoy the Feast of a good
Conſcience, when we ftand in the greateſt
need of its Support.
In a word, when we meet with that,
which to an honeſt Heart is one of the greateſt
of Afflictions, the Eftrangement of Friends,
and experience their Unkindneſs and Falfhood,
we may relieve ourſelves not a little, by re-
flecting on the continued Bounty and Favour
of our Creator, the Friend and Father of
Mankind, in whom there is no Variableness,
nor Shadow of Turning.
By this Means, if we do not altogether
eſcape the Storms and Injuries of Fortune, we
may in a great meaſure elude and break the
Force of them; and preſerve in ourſelves that
calm and peaceable Difpofition of Soul, which
is the firſt Step to Happineſs, and abſolutely
neceffary to the Perfection of it.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
Saturday,
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 17
N° 3°
Saturday, April 17. 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Pertinet ad faciem rabidos compefcere mores :
Candida pax homines, trux decet ira feras.
SIR,
Ov.
•
OTHING that contributes either
to the Pleaſure or the Adornment
of Mankind, ought to be overlook-
ed by any one that is folicitous for
the Intereft of his Species, and employs any
part of his Time in making Obſervations on
what relates to them. For this Reaſon, I
have often wonder'd, that among Gentlemen
of Letters, the Poets have been almoft the
only Men that have explored the Territories.
of Beauty, or made the Fair Sex the Object
of their Contemplation. Our Divines and
Philofophers have generally thought it a little
below them to engage on fo uſeleſs a Theme;
and contented themſelves to deliver us a
few dry Maxims concerning the Vanity and
Perishableness of Beauty, and the Folly of
valuing ourſelves upon a Quality fo very
tranfitory, a Thing of no Merit, becauſe not
Vol. I
18 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
owing to ourſelves, and withal ſo inconducive
to the Happineſs of the Perfons poffeffing it.
Bur with all due deference to theſe grave
Gentlemen, I am humbly of Opinion, that
Beauty, and its Owners, particularly in that
Sex where it is most expected, and indeed al-
ways found in its greateſt Perfection, are of
infinitely more Importance than is commonly
apprehended. The Beauties of inanimate Na-
ture in the fair and goodly Frame of the Uni-
verfe, have exercifed the Wit and Genius of
moſt of the great Men that have lived fince
the Invention of Letters. And it is fill
reckoned not only entertaining, but a very
high Improvement of our rational Faculties,
to employ them in the Diſcovery of more
and more of theſe Beauties, and raife in our
Minds the faireſt and moſt exalted Ideas we
can of them. To profefs therefore a Con-
tempt or an Averfion for that fort of Beauty
which difplays it felf in Objects that are
both living and focial, muft either argue a
very ſtrange Corruption of Tafte, or fuch an
Infenfibility as feems utterly inconfiftent with
Humanity.
IT has been the Wiſdom of all well-con-
ſtituted Governments, to engage either by
Praiſe or otherwife, the Poffeffors not only
of commendable Qualities, but even of ex-
ternal Endowments, that might have any
Influence either on the publick Good, or the
Eafe and Satisfaction of Men in private Life.
With this view Greece inftituted her Ifthmian
and
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 19
and Olympic Games, that the Youth might
be taught to glory in their Strength, and
dedicate to the Service of their Country that
Vigor which was attended with publick
Honours, and the Applaufes of a whole
Common-wealth. To this Day we fee in
feveral Nations Rewards affixed to the Fleet-
nefs of a Horfe. Gentlemen of Diftinction
and Fortune have been puffed up with the
Praiſes acquired by their Cattle; and with
great Modeſty raiſed themſelves a Name and
a Reputation on the Merits of a Quadrupede.
PRIDE in any inftance is a Thing that
no body will pretend to juſtify; and in thoſe
given, I am fure, it is both ridiculous and
contemptible. Yet that does not hinder but
that the Strength of a Man, and the Swift-
neſs of a Horſe may be uſeful to the World;
and confequently, that they ought to be con-
fidered by us as Things of Value and Moment
in their proper Place. How much more then
fhou'd a Quality, fuch as Beauty, which has
fo great and powerful an Influence on the
Hearts of the beſt and wiſeſt of Men, chal-
lenge a Place in our Efteem, and be thought
worthy of our ferious Regard? If we con-
fider Things in a political View, we muſt
look on the Fair Sex as one half of the King-
dom, and by that meaſure the Importance of
a Qualification for which they are fo pecu-
liarly eminent. Shou'd all the Fair-ones in
thefe Iſlands, in any critical Juncture, efpoufe
the Intereſt of any one of the contending
C 2
Parties,
20
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
+
Parties, it is impoffible in the Nature of
Things, but that all others muſt refign their
Pretenfions, and fall in with the meaſures of
the other Side. We reckon it, as truly it
is, a very great Truft which we repofe in our
Repreſentatives in Parliament, becauſe it may
give them the Power to difpofe of the Lives
and Fortunes of their Fellow Citizens in the
pronouncing of a Monofyllable: But fure we
must own that Power to be ftill more tran-
fcendent, which can kill with a Look, and
enflave in the twinkling of an Eye.
FOR thefe Reafons, I cannot but think
it of the higheſt Concernment to the Publick,
that the State of Beauty fhould be as care-
fully look'd into as that of our Coin; and
that none be permitted to carry on a Com-
merce on the Credit of it, where there is not
a real Fund to fupport it. For this, like
every other amiable Quality, has had its
Counterfeits. And among the great Numbers
of fine Ladies, whom we hear every Day
called handfome, there are not a few who
have no manner of Pretence to Beauty, in
its true and genuine Signification.
THE external Qualities that Men are moſt
apt to value themſelves upon, or that pre-
poffefs us in favour of others, are Strength,
Beauty, and Eloquence. Whoever poffeffes
any one of theſe in an eminent degree, can-
not but be conſcious of it, and confider it in
himſelf as a Perfection; becauſe he finds it
creates an Efteem, when he meets it in ano-
ther
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
21
}
ther Perfon. But if we obferve Things more.
attentively, we ſhall find, that thefe Quali-
ties are not eſteemed by us fo much on the
account of their own Worth, as becauſe they
are Prognoſticks and Characters of certain in-
ternal Difpofitions, that contribute to the
Benefit or Pleaſure of Society. Thus Strength
is the Sign of Valour; Beauty of Goodneſs;
and Eloquence of Wiſdom. When we trace
in a Man's Perfon, his Countenance, or his
Behaviour, the Lineaments of an heroick,
undaunted Soul, of a kind and generous Tem-
per, or of ftrong Senfe and Reflection, we
cannot forbear a very fudden Approbation
and Efteem. Men have frequently become
Friends, as well as Lovers, at firft Sight;
and where the inward Difpofition has been
found anſwerable to the outward Appearance,
it has very feldom failed to produce the
pureſt and moſt uninterrupted Affection.
Bur as all falfe Pretences, when they are
diſcovered, expofe the Perfon that makes
them to the Scorn and Averfion of thoſe
they have deceiv'd; fo in this Cafe it is of
the utmoſt Confequence, that no falfe Sig-
nals have been hung out upon us, but that
the Body has given us a fair and honeft Re-
preſentation of the Temper and Inclinations
of its Inhabitant. For, otherwife, the promi-
fing Perſon will fink in our Opinion much
fafter than he rofe, and convert our fudden
Liking into lafting Diſguſt, And for this
we cannot have a plainer Proof, than the
22
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
ftrong Abhorrence and Contempt every one
feels within himſelf towards an able-body'd
Coward, a peevith Beauty, or an ignorant
Orator.
ON the other hand, when Nature has
been deficient in the external Part, and with-
held her filent Recommendations to Favour
and Good will, if the Perfon fo unhappily
born has fupplied thofe Defects by inward
Greatnefs, and Beauty or Manners, and has
exceeded what the World had expected from
him; we not only overlook his Blemishes,
but reckon them up to his Credit in the Efti-
mate of his Worth. And thus the Dwarf-
ifhnefs of Tydeus is never mentioned but to
exalt our Idea of his Courage. The Goodneſs
of Socrates appears to us the more wonderful,
that it could reconcile Men to fo forbidding
a Face, as he is commoly faid to have worn.
And the Wifdom of Cato has loft none of
its Praife, for not being accompanied with
all thofe Graces of Elocution, Action, and
Voice, that met in the divine Eloquence
of Cicero.
THE Inference from all this is very eaſy
and natural; That the Poffeffors of any love-
ly or admired outward Quality fhould en-
deavour by all means to purfue the Intention
of Nature in beftowing it upon them. The
ftrong and vigorous fhould lay themfelves
out to be the Protectors of Innocence, and
the Defenders of Liberty, when Occafion re-
quires. The Care of the Fair Sex fhould be
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 23
1
to make their graceful Actions a Comment
on their beautiful Looks. And thoſe that
are bleft with an harmonious Voice, and
flowing Expreffion, ought to ſtock their
Minds with a Treaſure of Knowledge and
Wiſdom, that may be worth the communi-
cating. Rational Creatures have nothing to
value themſelves upon in the poffeffion of
Qualifications which other Creatures may
have in common with them, unleſs they add
to them thoſe fuperior Excellencies, that may
affert the Dignity of the Human Species, and
preferve thofe Diftinctions among the Ranks
of Beings, which the Author of Nature has
eſtabliſhed. For without this, a Pulley may
become as beneficial as a ſtrong Arm; a Piece
of coloured Canvas rival the moſt celebrated
Beauty; and a Fiddle-ſtring be as uſefully em-
ployed as the fineft Voice, and fluenteft
Tongue in the Houſe of Commons.
Bur to bring theſe general Reflections ¿
home to the prefent Subject. My Lord
Bacon has obferved all Beauty to confift
in theſe three Particulars, Colour, Favour,
and Motion; or in other words, a fine Com-
plexion, Regularity of Features, and that
Je ne sçay quoi, which we commonly ex-
prefs by the Phrafe of a good Air. Of theſe,.
that great Man prefers Motion, as the moſt
eſſential Part of Beauty, becauſe more imme-
diately the Effect of agreeable Operations
and Difpofitions in the Mind. So that ac-
cording to him, no Woman can be truly
called
C 4
24 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
called beautiful, that is not at the fame time
good-natur'd, becauſe ſhe wants that Motion
of Mind which is neceffary to communicate
agreeable Motion to the Face, and fpread it
felf in thoſe thouſand nameleſs Graces and
amiable Dimples, that ftrike the Beholder
with Joy and Delight. The Eyes and Mouth
are thofe Parts of the Human Face where
Beauty is moſt remarkably feated, and moſt
frequently in motion. There are few People
who have that Command of their Afpect, to
hinder whatever Thoughts they have in their
Hearts from rufhing to the Eye, or quivering
on the Lips. The Ladies therefore, if they
would preferve their Charms, muft, at leaſt,
take as much care to adjuſt their Minds as
their Drefs, and look into their Bofoms as of-
ten as their Glafs, that they may fupprefs
in the Birth every Emotion there, that can
make its way, and have an uncomely Ef
fect on the Face.
<
MANY a noble Syftem of Features have
I feen diftorted, and fpoiled by Pride, Anger,
Difdain or Jealoufy; and a Face which Pro-
vidence had intended to create Love and
Delight, render it felf offenfive and hateful
to thoſe who cou'd not deny the Livelineſs
of its Colours, the Symmetry of its Parts,
and their juſt Arrangement and Proportion to
the Whole. And on the contrary, there is
nothing more ufual, than for a homely rugged
Countenance to make it felf very agreeable,
when it is found to be frequently enlivened
1
with
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 25
•
with good Humour, and fweetned in that
manner, that beſpeaks a Heart at eaſe with
it ſelf, and diſpoſed to promote, and ſhare in
the Pleaſure and Happineſs of others. For
this Reaſon the Converfation of old People,
who are chearful, and can indulge the little
Follies, and Miftakes of their Inferiors in
Years and Experience, is oftentimes coveted
beyond all others; and the wrinkled Skin
and channelled Brow prefent nothing to the
Imagination that appears either deformed or
diſtaſteful.
INSTEAD therefore of the numerous Lo-
tions, Waſhes, and Cofmeticks, that are every
Day recommended, in our publick Papers,
to the Nobility and Gentry, I think it might
not be amifs to preſcribe the conftant Practice
of theſe Arts I have been ſpeaking of, as The
only true royal beautifying Fluid for the Face.
This Hint might furnish Materials for a very
amufing Advertiſement. It might be told,
that this Medicine was intirely free from
any Mixture of Mercury; that the Virtue
of it would not be in the leaft Impair'd by
long keeping; and that it was found to be
the only fovereign Specific againſt the Va-
pours; whereas all the other Things preſcribed
were moſt commonly found to bring them
on. I dare fay, the graveft Perfon alive
cou'd find no fault with this Method for
the Improvement of Beauty. For there is
nothing blameable in the Defire to appear
amiable to others, unless when a wrong
Courfe
26 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Courſe is taken in doing it, which may
either defeat its own End, or weaken the
Supports of Innocence and Virtue. Ver-
milion has been wafted on a Complexion,
that would have received a much finer and
more durable Tincture from Modefty. The
Pencil has in vain laboured to give thofe
Graces to the Eye-brows, which a kind Look
would have imparted with infinitely lefs
Pains. And many a Bofom has been taught
to heave artificially, that would have appear-
ed much more lovely, had it fwell'd with
Pity and Tenderneſs, inſtead of Levity and
Oftentation.
A VIRTUOUS Mind can feldom, if ever,
fail of making its Tenement agreeable to thoſe
with whom it converſes. Pity, Benevolence
and Generoſity, are the moſt charming and
endearing Qualities of the Human Mind.
And wherever theſe are, they will break
out, and render themſelves confpicuous. The
fair Sex are by their Conſtitution more fuf-
ceptible of theſe ſoft and delicate Paſſions,
than any other part of the Creation.
therefore, they need only follow Nature to
make themſelves as beautiful as they can
defire; fince the Effects of that fweet and
tender Difpofition (at leaſt according to
Milton) were what principally charm'd the
firft Lover in the Univerſe.
And
Thofe
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
27
Thofe graceful Acts,
Thofe thouſand Decencies, that daily flow
From all ber Words, and Actions, mix'd
with Love -
And fweet Compliance.
I am, Sir,
Your very
bumble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
N°
4.
Saturday, April 24, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Aërias tentaffe domos, animoque rotundo
Percurriffe polum.
SIR,
T
HOR.
HERE is a certain Employment
of the Mind, which every Man,
upon very little Recollection, will
find he has frequently been occu-
pied in, which I do not remember
to have ſeen any where fo fully treated on, as,
I think, the Subject deferves. It is one of
thofe
·
28
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
thofe Solitary Exerciſes, the Pleaſure whereof
cannot be communicated; and therefore every
one is afhamed to own what carries fo unfo-
ciable an Appearance. And it is the fame
Modefty, perhaps, that has hindred Authors
from writing upon it; in regard to do fo
would betray too great an Experience of a
Weakneſs they endeavour to condemn. Mr.
Locke therefore in his excellent Treatife of
the Conduct of the Understanding, and the
Authors of L'Art de Penfer, have contented
themſelves with a few fhort Hints about it,
as the Effect of an Irregular Imagination,
and an Impediment to us in our way to
Truth and Happineſs: And the ingenious
Author of the Spectator declines his own
Character, and affumes the Perfon of a Cor-
refpondent, in the fingle Piece of Raillery he
is pleaſed to beſtow on thoſe Gentlemen, who
indulge themſelves in this Intellectual Re-
creation to an Excess.
THE Exerciſe I am fpeaking of will be
beſt deſcribed and known by the vulgar Phraſe
of Building Caftles in the Air; a Bufinefs
that, I am confident, has produced more
great Men than are to be met with in Hiftory,
and wherein a Man that has been unfortunate
in all others, is fure to fucceed, upon the eaſy
Condition of applying himſelf to it in earneſt,
It muſt be owned indeed, that the Pleaſures
it affords are intirely imaginary, and confe-
quently of a very fhort and precarious Du-
ration. But then as the Materials for this
kind
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
29
kind of Architecture are never to ſeek, and
the Application to it neither expenſive nor
laborious, the frequent Repetition of the
Enjoyment makes amends for the Fleeting-
nefs of its Existence. And fince Reaſon it
felf is only the Inftrument of Happineſs,
it will juſtify the moſt fanciful Entertain-
ments, provided they are innocent, when
they relieve from a Senfe of Pain, or fufpend
the Sorrows of an afflicted Heart, as thefe
are frequently known to do.
AMONG the Stoicks it was reckoned
the trueft, the effential Character of their
Wife, their Perfect Man, that he drew all
his Enjoyments from himſelf, and did not
depend on Foreign Objects for his Happineſs.
Every thing that was not in his own power,
that had not its Source within himſelf, or
that was capable of being raviſhed from him,
either by the Malice of others, or the
Iniquity of Fortune, was, according to them,
a Matter of abfolute Indifference, and neither
to be courted, nor avoided. Upon this Hy-
pothefis a Caftle-Builder will be found to
act moſt philofophically. For the Edifices
he raiſes, and the Riches he graſps at, are in
the ſtricteſt propriety his own; fo much his
own, that no body elſe can covet his Pof-
feffions, much lefs invade them. And tho
he may be fenfible, that other People are
carrying on their Works as well as himſelf,
yet he has ftill room enough to build on,
and need never be afraid of their encroaching
on
30 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
I
on his Territories. Nor is it a fmall Ad-
dition to his Satisfaction, that he can reflect
on the juſtneſs of his Title, and dream in
his etherial Apartments with a ſafe Conſci-
ence, fince they are his own, both as to the
Matter and Form; a Circumftance, which
according to Grotius and Puffendorf, con-
ftitutes the fulleſt and moſt perfect Right.
Bur to be ſerious; tho People may, and
oftentimes do, carry thefe Sports of the Ima-
gination to an Extravagance, and raiſe them-
felves into Viſions that may have an ill In-
fluence on the Conduct of their Lives; yet
ftill this Anticipation of Felicity in our pre-
fent State, is not only natural but unavoid-
able. In all human Affairs the End is ever
prior in our Intention to the Means; and
we draw the Model of a Building, and con-
template its Beauty, before a fingle Stone be
laid in the Foundation. To do any other-
wife would be to act without Reaſon and
Deſign, and make the Life of a Man as
comfortleſs and indecent as that of a Brute.
So that we are all of us Caftle-Builders in
fome degree or another; and the only diffe-
rence between a rational and a whimſical
Caftle-Builder lies in this one Point, that
the former is better furniſhed with Mortar
than the other, and by that means makes
much more fubſtantial and durable Work,
tho not ſo magnificent and beautiful as his
Competitor. And in fome Cafes the whim-
fical Gentleman feems to act the more rea-
fonably
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
31
ſonably of the two. For he makes a fhift
to enjoy, in fome fort, the End of his La-
bours every Hour of the Day, while the
other perhaps confumes a whole Life in
plodding for the Means, and drags on a
weariſome Being without coming to any End
at all: A Cafe but too frequent among the
great Adventurers for Power, Riches and
Glory, who make the Purſuits of Avarice
and Ambition the fole Buſineſs of Life. How
happy had it been for the World, and them-
felves too, had Alexander, Cafar, and Lewis
XIV. fat down and peaceably dreamt them-
felves in poffeffion of all that Empire and
Renown, to which they not only facrificed
their own Repofe, but the Peace and Welfare
of Mankind!
I WOULD be very far from infinuating,
that we ought to give a looſe to Fancy in
its wild Rambles after chimerical Pleafure,
or employ any of our Time, that might be
fpent to better purpoſe, in fuch a fantastick
Amuſement. I am fenfible, that giving into
Deluſions of this fort will not only obſtruct
the Progreſs of the Mind in the fearch after
abſtract and general Truths, but may greatly
perplex us in the Management of the com-
mon Affairs of Life, and divert us from pur-
fuing them with due Intention and Appli-
cation, by filling the Head with romantick
Notions, and engaging us in Projects beyond
our Abilities, and productive of nothing but
Diſappointment and Repentance. Yet still,
this
32 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
this Power of imagining fictitious Enjoy-
ments, and the natural Inclination we have
to exerciſe it, like every thing elſe in the
human Mind, has its Ufe. Providence has
implanted nothing in us, that may not be
fubfervient to noble and excellent Purpoſes.
All our Paffions and Faculties are calcula-
ted not only to promote the Happineſs of
the Individual, but the univerfal Good of
the whole Intellectual Syftem. The Buſineſs
therefore of a wife Man is to govern his
Paffions, and direct them to their proper Ob-
jects, not to extinguiſh, or fupprefs them.
And where the over-frequent Ufe of any
Faculty may, or has been attended with In-
conveniences, it is enough to guard againſt
that frequent Ufe, without endeavouring to
run down the Faculty it felf, under the
Notion of a Weakneſs and Imperfection in
our Nature.
1
LET us fee then how far the Practice
of Caftle-Building may be uſeful; and con-
fining it to that, prevent its growing into
an Error, and a mifapplication of thinking.
Hiſtory is generally eſteemed to be one of
the beſt and moſt profitable Studies a Gentle-
man can purſue; becauſe it brings to our
view a great Variety of Characters, and Ex-
amples, the moſt powerful fort of Inftruc-
tion, that are of great ufe to a Man of Senſe
and Reflection, either in the Management
of his own Affairs, or his Conduct with
regard to the Publick. But what is Hiſtory,
2
anv
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 35
any farther than it relates to our own Age
and Country? Truly nothing elſe but a kind
of Caftle-Building backwards, wherein we
amuſe our ſelves with the Fortunes and Ad-
ventures of other Perfons, in the ſame man-
ner we do with our own, when we are
drawing up the Ideal Memoirs of our fu-
ture Actions and Succefs. Nay, I believe,
the generality of Readers of Hiſtory go
fomething beyond this, and actually embark
themſelves in the Affairs they read of, if
not identify themſelves with fome Favourite
Perſon in the Story, and participate in all
the Events of his Life, whether profperous
or unhappy. Now if a fruitful Imagination
can affemble together a great Number of
Incidents, relating either to its Owner, or
any other Perſon, and difpofe them in the
fame Regularity as in a well-writ Hiſtory,
I cannot fee any Reaſon why we ſhould not
give it now and then its Play, that will not
equally weigh againſt reading the Tranfacti-
ons of former Times, which have no relation
to, or influence on our own.
It is agreed on, by moft Writers of Mo-
rality, that in order to have a juft Notion
of the Rights of other Men, and of the
Duties and Obligations we are under to our
Fellow-Creatures, we fhould fuppofe our
felves in their place, and gather what we
owe to them, from what our felyes would
expect upon that Suppofition. This feems
Vol. I.
D
to
34. HIBERNICU's's Letters.
to be a neceſſary Condition to our rightly
comprehending the Reaſon of that first and
everlaſting Rule of Equity, To do to others
as we would have them do to us. Hence
we may ſee the Wiſdom of our Creator in
giving us this imagining Faculty, and ſuch
a Facility of placing our felves in Circum-
ſtances different from thoſe we are really in,
to enforce our Duty upon us, not only by
Reaſon, but by Paffion and powerful Incli-
nation. For in Caftle-Building we are apt
as often to lay Difficulties and Diftreffes in
our way to Happineſs, as they are really to
be met with in Life; becaufe doing fo aug-
ments the Pleafure of the Fancy in after-
wards bringing us out of them: And this
muft naturally foften the Mind, and make
it fufceptible of the moſt delicate Sentiments
of Pity, and Generofity. An illuftrious
Proof hereof we have in young People,
who are always the greateſt and moſt inde-
fatigable Caftle-Builders, at the fame time
that they are warmed with the pureft Af-
fections, and have their Hearts glowing with
the tendereſt and moſt difintereſted Friend-
fhips.
IN Caftle Building we may alfo diſcover
the Dignity and native Excellence of the hu-
man Mind, and the Emptiness of all Pleaſure,
that is not founded in Reafon and Virtue:
For I defy the moſt ſelfiſh Perſon in the
World to draw any Schemes of this fort,
that ſhall not take in the Happineſs of others
2
as
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 35
as well as his own; and make the Exercife
of Benevolence, and the doing of good
Offices the chiefeſt and moſt delicious part
of the Entertainment. All the Charms of
Pomp and Power, of Riches and Glory,
will immediately wither in the Imagination,
unleſs they are fuppofed to be acquired by
juſt and honourable Methods, and employed
in the performing of worthy and generous
Actions. A Man that has given a full range
to Fancy in this kind of Excurfions, will at
laft contract as hearty a Contempt and Dif
guſt of the World, as any that ever got a
real Surfeit of it; and fo be obliged to fix
on the Pleaſures of a virtuous and inoffenfive
Life as the only true and folid Felicity. And
tho Revenge be to fome Men a fweet bit,
yet if it be really what Mr. Hobbes fays it
is, only a Defire of making another repent
of fome Injury he has done us, the moſt
malicious Perfon might be a generous Caftle-
Builder; fince, I fanfy, he would always
chooſe to picture the Repentance of his Ad-
verſary as fincere and voluntary, rather than
fqueezed out of him by Compulfion and
Torture. A plain Evidence of the Strength
of Benevolence in our Minds, before they
become corrupted by Intereft and ill Exam-
ple, when it will be ftill bursting out upon
us amidſt our cloſeſt and intenfeft Applica
tions to Self-Enjoyment.
D 2
THESE
36 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
THESE are the Ufes that may be made
of Caftle-Building, which fhould at leaſt
hinder us, where it does not take up
too much time, and divert us from the Du-
ties of our Station, from calling it a Blind-
fide, and an Infirmity in our Nature; fince
as there have been probably few great Men
without a good deal of it, fo, I doubt not,
but many good ones have improved and
animated their Goodneſs by the Pleaſures
which the imaginary as well as the real Exer
cife of it has afforded them.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
1
HIBERNICUs.
No 5.
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 37
No
5.
Saturday, May 1, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Curiofum nobis Natura ingenium dedit: Et
artis fibi ac pulchritudinis fuæ confcia,
Spectatores nos tantis rerum Spectaculis
genuit.
SIR,
T
SENECA.
HO Happineſs, and the Search
after it be the Bufinefs and Study
of all Mankind, and nothing is
of greater Importance to us in
Life, than to be rightly inform'd
wherein it confifts; yet fuch is the Weakneſs
of the human Underſtanding, that tho there
çan be but one Way to be happy, there are
as many different ones purfu'd, as there are
unfettled Notions in the World about Matters
of mere Speculation, that do not concern us
at all. And becauſe moſt of theſe, however
fair and beautiful in the Entrance, and fo laid
out as to preſent abundance of gay Profpects
to the Imagination at firft, are yet full of
Perplexities and Dangers, there is the greateſt
neceffity for our carefully exploring the Paths
38 HIBERNICUS's Letters..
of Life, that we may not be diſappointed of
the Ends of our Journey. Every Man is for
regulating his own March, and flatters him-
felf that he acts according to Reason, and
the Nature of Things, when perhaps he is
only indulging a particular whimfical Humour,
gratifying fome inordinate Paffion, or meanly
imitating the Customs of the unthinking Vul-
gar, whether great or small, that have In-
fluence enough to make their Way of Life
fashionable. I hope therefore to be excuſed
for endeavouring to treat this Subject more
diftinctly, and at greater Length than the
Bounds of a fingle Paper will allow; fince
there is not any one Inquiry in the World,
wherein Miſtakes are either more dangerous
or more frequent.
tho
THE first Motives to Action in all Men
are their Appetites, of what kind foever
they be. I fay, the first Motives, becauſe
upon Forefight of fome Inconvenience in
the gratifying them, or a Senſe of ſomething
unlovely in the Act that does fo, there may
arife a Struggle in the Mind powerful enough
to alter our first Refolution, yet ftill it is the
Appetite that gives rife to the Struggle; and
the Change of the Refolution fubfequent to
it, is owing to nothing elfe but the Birth of
fome new and ftronger Inclination, or Ap-
petite of a different Kind." Hence in vul-
gar Speech the moſt uſual Definition of Hap-
piness is, to enjoy our Wiſh, or in other
words, to gratify our Appetites and Incli-
ations
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 39
nations. Nor is the Definition very much
amifs, if we confider it abſtractly. For no-
thing can be a Happiness to us, which we
do not think fo, that is, which we do not
greatly defire in Abſence, and ardently careſs
in Fruition. But in regard we are ſhort-fight-
ed Creatures, and cannot without Thought
and Study diſcover all the natural or probable
Confequences of our Actions, the true Na
ture of the Paffions, which of them are beſt
calculated to procure us a folid and laſting
Satisfaction, and what Objects in Nature are
the Mediums proper to convey that Satif
faction to us: On theſe accounts, I fay, it
is a dangerous Maxim, that Happiness con-
fifts at all times in the gratification of Ap-
petite. Tho we can have no Happiness
without Appetite, yet the Wearineſs and
Satiety produced in gratifying many of our
Appetites, all the fenfual ones in particular,
is a Proof, that our Happiness does not lie
there, but muſt have fome higher and nobler
Principle for its Origin. To diſcover and
purſue this is the true Ufe and End of Rea-
fon; and the only Method of doing fo, is
careful-Recollection and Obſervation on what
paſſes in our own Breafts: My Readers there- .
fore must accompany me in this Inquiry.
The Paffions are the fame in all Mankind;
and to judge of the Truth of what any one
advances on Subjects relating to them, there
is an abfolute neceffity (and nothing elfe is
requifite, if matters are honeftly and clearly
Dant
deliver❜d)
40 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
deliver❜d) of comparing it with what every
Man finds in himfelf; this kind of Know-
ledge being capable of no other manner of
Demonſtration.
In order to have a juft Notion of Happi-
nefs, confidered as a State of the Mind, we
muſt reflect on thoſe Senfations we are af
fected with whenever we imagine ourſelves
happy, and recollect what are the Objects
that moſt naturally and conftantly excite
them. The Senfations then of Happiness,
as I take it, may be ranged under thefe three
general Heads, Pleafure, Joy, and Tran-
quillity; the two former flowing from ex-
ternal Enjoyments, and the latter from the
Reflection of the Mind on itſelf. For all our
rational Entertainments are derived either
from the Contemplation of Beauty, the
Endearments of Society, or Self-Approba-
tion. And tho Pleasure and Joy, in the
common Uſe of the Words, may feem to be
much the fame thing, yet, I apprehend, there
is a very great Difference betwixt them,
both in the Senfation, and the Cauſes that
produce it. For however Beauty be the Ob-
ject both of Pleafure and Joy, ftill the Beau-
ty is of a different kind, the one being that
of material and inanimate Things, and the
other of living and focial Beings. And
where the Cauſes are fo widely different, the
Effects cannot but be fo too.
It is foreign to the preſent Deſign, to in-
quire wherein Beauty properly confifts. It
is
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
41
is enough for us to know, that there are cer-
tain Combinations of Matter and Motion,
that ſtrike the Fancy agreeably, draw grace-
ful Shapes, and fhed beautiful Colours on the
Imagination. How we are affected by fuch
Things, may be much eaſier felt than defcri-
bed. To conceive rightly of it, we need
only reflect on what we feel, when we ad-
mire the awful Arch of Heaven, either illu-
minated with one mighty Ball of Fire, or
fow'd over with innumerable Stars; when
we rejoice in the lovely Appearance of the
Morning; when we furvey the wonderful
Face of the great Ocean; or when we gaze
on the milder Charms of a rural Landskip,
blooming Fields, folitary Shades, and ftill
Waters. All Men that have not debauched
their Taſte, either by giving a Looſe to the
groffer Pleasures of Senfe, or amuſing them-
Telves with the Viſions of Ambition and A-
variçe, have a natural Reliſh for this kind of
Enjoyment. This is plain from what we
may obſerve in Children, in whom the first
Signs they give us of their being affected with
any confiderable degree of Pleafure, are their
Fondness for the Light, an eager Perufal of
every thing they fee, and an amiable Simper-
ing at the variety of pretty things they difco-
ver. Hence that Impatience of Confine-
ment fo remarkable in all young ones, and
that they prefer rambling abroad, even by
themſelves, and in dirty Weather, to ſtaying
in a convenient pleaſant Chamber, with all
their
42 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
their Play-fellows about them. All which,
as it is a Proof that we are all ſuſceptible of
the Charms of Nature, fo is it no weak Ar-
gument that there muſt be ſome Standard of
Beauty in Nature, fomething certain and fix-
ed, that conftantly will produce Delight in
us, whenever attended to.
I KNOW, it will be objected from the
variety of Taftes among Mankind, that there
can be no fuch thing as native Beauty, other-
wife all Men would equally perceive it, and
be enchanted with it. The Voluptuous pre-
fer Chambering and Wantonness to the fineſt
Landskip in Nature. There are whole Neſts
of Rakes to be met with, in all Corners of
the Town, that ſcarce ever fee the Sun, and
think no Proſpect fo delightful as that of a
midnight Debauch. The Mifer and the
Ambitious are taken up with Purſuits of a
different kind, and blind to the Charms of
every thing but Wealth or Greatneſs. Nay,
there are to be found Men of good Senfe and
Education, who have been converfant in the
polite Arts, and have even got a Taſte of
Painting, who yet, if we may judge of
Mens Inclinations by their Actions, feem
not to have the leaft Idea of any Happiness
in Contemplation; and therefore, what we
call Beauty is a mere arbitrary thing, and
the Pleaſures it affords purely fictitious and
imaginary.
THIS is very poor Reaſoning; to deny
a Pleaſure every body has fome time or
ather
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
43
other been fenfible of, becauſe there are thoſe
in the World who by Application and In-
duſtry have worn out the Impreffions of it,
But it is ſtill a greater Abfurdity to contend,
that there is no real Beauty in Nature, be-
cauſe ſome Men do not, or will not fee it.
At this rate we might deny the very Exif-
tence of Truth itſelf, in regard fome Men ei-
ther thro' Prejudice, or weakneſs of Under-
ſtanding, embrace Principles that are demon-
ſtrably falſe. And becauſe there are dull hea-
vy Rogues to be met with, that prefer a Bal-
lad to the Iliad, and take greater delight in
reading fome empty modern Performances,
than Tully's Offices; therefore Propriety of
Writing, Elegance of Compofition, and Juft-
nefs of Thought are all a Jeft, and ſo many
Words without Meaning.
BUT if the Contemplation of Natural
Beauty be not a Part, a great Part of our
Happiness, pray, Whence comes it that we
reckon it fo great an Unhappineſs to be ren-
der'd incapable of it? Every thing which it
is a Mifery to be depriv'd of, it muſt be a
Happiness to enjoy. And the Worth of any
Enjoyment is beft to be eſtimated, according
to the Sorrow the Lofs of it produces. Now
who is there fo voluptuous, who fo ambi-
tious or covetous, as not, upon cool thoughts,
to account it a greater Misfortune to be afflic-
ted with Blindness, tho at the fame time de-
barr'd none of the other Pleafures of Senfe,
than to be divorced from his Luxury, or cut
44
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
off from the Profpect of Riches and Gran-
deur? Or where fhall we find a Man that
does not prefer the Condition of a laborious
Peaſant who has his Eyefight, tho he fweats
all Day for no more than a bare Suſtenance,
and flakes his Thirſt with no better Liquor
than the pure Element, to that of a Man,
who, amidst all the Affluence of an opulent
Fortune, is yet cut off from the chearful
Face of Nature, and fhut out of the greateſt
Part of the Converfation of Mankind? And
if this be fo, can we judge any thing elfe,
but that theſe Pleafures are not only Natu-
ral to all Mankind, but the greateſt we can
receive by the Intervention of our Senfes,
fince the Loss of them is by common Con-
feffion the greateſt Unhappineſs of that kind
that can befal us?
It is true, there are Comforts of Life abſo-
lutely neceffary to our Continuance in it, the
Lofs of which may on that account be reck-
oned our greateſt Unhappineſs, as depriving
us of all other Enjoyments. But then, as
theſe are not Bleffings on their own account,
fo the want of them, being only a Secondary
Misfortune, has nothing to do with our Ar-
gument.
THUS then we ſee it is of the greateſt Im-
portance to our Happiness, to have a true
Taſte of the Beauties of Nature. Some
Taſte this way we all have; and the Reaſon
it is not greater, is either our want of Confide-
ration, or giving way to Appetites of a groffer
Li 1.
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 45
kind. Theſe being productive of none but
quick and fhort Senfations, are incapable of
procuring us a folid and laſting Enjoyment.
The Violence of the Pleasure preys upon its
correfpondent Faculty, and fills the Mind
with perpetual Uneafineſs and Anxiety. In
fpite of our felves, we carry about with us a
remembrance of thofe calm uninterrupted De-
lights which in our early Years, before fordid
Intereft, or extravagant Defires had taken
hold on us, we enjoyed in gazing on that
beautiful Picture the great Author of Nature
has every where hung before us. And it is
this, in a great meaſure, that in the Intervals
of violent Pleafures creates in us Weariness
and Diſguſt, and makes us look back upon
them with Shame and Repentance. Where-
as, were our natural Paffions lefs refined, and
our Faculties of a coarfer Compoſition, that
is, had we a Competence of Brutality, theſe
fame violent Pleafures would be a full and
adequate Happiness to us, as they are now
nothing else but Vanity and Vexation of
Spirit.
If we feek therefore for a peaceable and
eafy Satisfaction, free from the Turbulence of
impetuous Paffion, and unattended with Cha-
grin and Satiety, let us give attention to the
Voice of Nature; and fince the World lies
before us, make our felves more Mafters of
it, than they who have made their impudent
Boaſt of fubduing it. Poffeffion is but an
empty Name, and 'tis then only we enjoy the
World,
46 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
World, when we furvey the Wonders of it,
and content our felves with what Nature af
fords us. For fince there is no other Enjoy
ment of beautiful Objects, but what arifes
from beholding them; in feeking for more,
we facrifice a real Good to one that exiſts not
any where but in Fancy. The great Works
of Nature are incapable of being appropria-
ted or monopolized: So that a wife Man in
his Meannefs has this Part of Felicity as
much in his Reach as the great and the pow
erful. And as the Univerfe is an inexhau-
ftible Storehouſe of Knowledge, which no
finite Mind is capacious enough to contain ;
and as true Knowledge is nothing elſe but an
Enlargement of our View, the Search after
it muſt neceffarily be one of the fureft Me-
thods to make human Life run down clear
and gentle; not only in regard the Pleasures
it produces are of a calm and delicate kind,
but becauſe there is here an Infinity of Ob-
jects to gratify unbounded Defire, and render'
Enjoyment perpetual.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
N° 6.
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 47
No 6.
Saturday, May 8, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Patria, carifque propinquis
Quantum elargiri deceat, quem te Deus effe
Fuffit, & humana qua parte locatus es in re,
PERSIUS.
Difce.
SIR,
H
AVING in my laft Letter con-
fider'd fo much of our Happiness
as arifes from the Contemplation
of Beauty in ftill Life, the next
thing in the Courſe of this Eſſay
is to fhew how we are affected by that which
we call moral Beauty, which diſplays itſelf
in the Actions of Mankind, and the Figure
they reſpectively make in the Syftem of in-
tellectual Beings; wherein the Enjoyment
does not confift in the mere Speculation of
external Objects, but in the actual Imitation
of whatever we apprehend lovely or beauti-
ful in them.
As we are Creatures that ftand in perpe-
tual need of Help and Affiftance, the Author
of Nature has in great Wiſdom and Goodneſs
given
48 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
given us Affociates of our own Species, to
draw with us in the Yoke of Life, and re-
lieve us from innumerable Inconveniences,
which in a State of Solitude would be infe-
parable from it. Had we no Companions but
the Brute Part of the Creation, I fanfy, none
will diſpute the Mifery of fuch a Condition,
even tho they could be brought to underſtand
our Wants, and were tame enough to fubmit
to all the Drudgery we ſhould think fit to im-
pofe on them. For that cannot be called
Society, where there is not a Participation
of rational Delight, and an Interchange of
Sentiments and Paffions; and without Soci-
ety no Being can be happy, that is fenfible
of either Wants or Defects. Beings of dif-
ferent or oppofite Natures one to the other,
are no more capable of holding Society to-
gether, than a Train of Difcords in Mufick
is of producing that wonderful Combination
of Sounds, which we call by the Name of
Harmony. And for this Reafon it is necef-
fary to our Happiness, that we fhould have
Communication with our Equals, who be
ing affected in the fame manner we are, and
moved by the fame Springs, may augment
our Pleasure, by mingling theirs with it:
by which means, as the Joy of every Indi-
vidual may be diffuſed thro' the Whole, fo
whatever Good happens to the Whole, may
be imparted to every Individual; in the fame
manner as when a Man fings in Confort, the
various Modulations are fo incorporated to-
gether,
•
!
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
49
7
gether, that the Melody of the Whole feems
to his Ear, as if it were all the Effect of his
own Voice.
If we regard only the Out fide of Mankind;
his erect Pofture, the Symmetry and Propor-
tion of his Limbs, his majeftick Looks, and
the expreffive Difpofition of his Features to
diſplay a great Soul, or a benevolent Heart;
we fee a great deal to excite our Love and
Admiration. Mr. Hobbes, tho not over-fond
of complimenting his Species with too much
native Excellence, yet is forced to fix on
this as one of the Perfections on which our
Right of Dominion over the inferior Ani-
mals is founded. And if fo, it fhould cer-
tainly entitle us to a natural Efteem and Re-
ſpect from one another, unleſs we contend
for a greater Degree of Infenfibility than
Brutes. One of the greateſt Maſters of Na-
ture that ever wrote, the immortal Shake-
Spear, has defcribed very finely the Effects
of this external Appearance of Mankind on
the Mind, in the Perfon of a young Lady,
who having never feen but one or two Per-
fons before, cries out, upon the Sight of a
large Company,
O Wonder!
How many goodly Creatures are there bere?
How beauteous Mankind is! O brave new
That has fuch People in it!
(World,
And I believe it will be pretty difficult to find
Vol L
50
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
Man that can behold a numerous Affembly of
People with Indifference, or forbear giving
way to a fecret inexpreffible Pleaſure, when
he fees fuch a Society, even tho he had no
former Acquaintance with any in it, either in
.a Party of Mirth and good Humour, or
chearfully purſuing any of the honeft and
laudable Employments of Life.
IF the exterior Show of Mankind appears
thus beautiful to us, how much more muſt
we be charmed with thofe inward Graces,
which the Mind, under a due Regulation, is
capable of diſcovering? As the Beauty of
the material World is owing to the Motion
as well as the Arrangement of its feveral
Parts; fo the Beauty of human Life confifts
in the Actions of thoſe that act their Part
in it, and the Tendency of them to promote
the Order and Decency of the Whole. When
we peruſe the Lineaments of a fair and vir-
tuous Character, and trace in a Man's Actions,
native Honesty, and over-flowing Good-will,
we cannot forbear approving fo bright an
Image of Perfection, and entertaining a high
Degree of Love to the amiable Perfon that
bears it. And this will happen to Perfons
that do not always practiſe themſelves the
Virtues they admire in others; a plain Proof,
that there is a natural Comeliness in them,
the Impreſſions of which it is not in the pow-
er of Debauchery itſelf to obliterate.
Social Affection is natural to all Men. And
tho ſome have fhaken it off to a great degree,
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 51
or at leaſt confined the Exercife of it in very
narrow Limits, yet it is a Principle can ne-
ver be totally eradicated: Nor confequently
is it poffible for us to fupprefs our Approba-
tion of thofe Actions that flow from it, and
our Delight in the Perfons that diſcover the
largeſt Share of it. Men abandon'd to the
greateſt Wickedneſs feek after it, or fome-
thing that reſembles it, in thoſe with whom
they converfe. The moſt profligate Villains
in the World, that feem to have joined in
League againſt all Virtue and Goodness, yet
ftand much upon Points of Honour and
Friendship among their Confederates, and
not only put on great Appearances of Fide-
lity to them, but very frequently have
Courage enough to die in
in confirmati-
on of it. So that it fhould ſeem to be
rather want of Confidence in the reſt of Man-
kind, than any fixed Principle of Malice, or
total Extinction of Affection, that makes
Men either dishoneft or ungenerous; for if
every Man believ'd his Neighbours kind and
fincere, none could have any real Intereft in
being a Villain or Hypocrite. But whether
this be fo or no, here is a plain Acknow-
ledgment of the Neceffity of fome Society,
and fome Degree of focial Affection, to make
Life happy. And certain it is, that there
cannot be imagin'd a more miferable Being
than one that ſhould live in endleſs Diſtruſt,
Sufpicion, and Jealousy of all others; which
would undoubtedly be the cafe of a Being, that
52
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
was utterly diveſted of ſocial Affection, and
is actually more or leſs fo of all thoſe in
whom the ſelfiſh Principle has taken fuch
deep Root, as to deprive the others of any
part of their Nourishment.
It is granted by all, that for Men to join
in Society, to enter into Contracts to abſtain
from Acts of Violence and Injustice, and
live.together as if they really did eſteem and
love one another, is abfolutely neceffary to
make Life easy and comfortable. Wicked
Men are hereby kept under, and reſtrained
from breaking loofe on their harmleſs and
peaceable Neighbours. People enjoy the
Fruit of their Labours without Disturbance :
They carry on their Affairs with Calmness
and Sobriety, and purfue their Diverfions
with Innocence and Freedom; and every
thing wears a Face of Decency, good Order,
and Elegance. Thefe are the Effects of
Laws and Conftitutions. Now if Actions
done from Political Confiderations are fo
beneficial, how much more Pleaſure muſt
they afford, when they ſpring from pure
Good-will, and Sincerity of Affection? If
Obedience to a Scheme of Life impofed on
us under Penalties be capable of making us
thus happy, furely when we fall in with it out
of Choice and Inclination, our Happiness
muſt be far greater. Is it good that we ſhould
be compelled to confult the publick Welfare,
and the Safety of our Neighbours, and would
it not be better, that we were drawn to do
fo
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 53
fo by a Law of Kindness? In ſhort, fince
the outward Acts of Goodneſs tend ſo much
to our Comfort and Satisfaction, it is evi-
dent, they will carry it to a much greater
Height, when accompany'd with the inward
Difpofition.
I MIGHT here appeal to every Man's own
Experience, whether our higheſt Notions of
Pleafure, when rightly examin'd, do not at
laft terminate in rational Love, and focial
Joy. Let us fuppofe ourſelves placed in thoſe
Circumſtances wherein the unthinking Part
of Mankind imagine Happiness confifts. Let
us mould up all the pleafing Images that Na-
ture, affiſted by Art, can afford; tranſport
ourſelves to every Scene of Life that is gay
and glittering; call forth all our Ideas of
Grandeur and Magnificence; and put our-
felves in poffeffion of whatever Luxury, A-
varice and Ambition can defire. I have al-
ready taken notice in a former Paper how
apt we all are to amuſe ourſelves in this man-
ner; and a Man of a warm Imagination may
for a while die away in the visionary Para-
dife. But who is there would be content
with all this, if none elſe were to be Sharers
with him, or could taſte of his Happiness
but himſelf? What Pleaſure is Wealth ca-
pable of beftowing, unless it be communica
ted? And what is there defirable in Power,
but the Exerciſe of it in Acts of Goodness?
Who is there favage enough to chooſe a fo-
litary Felicity? And is not Solitude itſelf
E 3
preferable
54 HIBERNICUS's Letters,
preferable to a Society where there should be
no Benevolence, no Union of Affection, nor
Intercourfe of Kindness? In a word, fince
without Society, what we call the Goods of
Life would be of no manner of Signifi-
cance to us, does it not appear, that the
Reaſon why we court Society, is not to fe-
cure ourſelves in the Poffeffion of them, as
fome People have very weakly imagined, but
that we ſeek after them only as the Means of
Social Pleafure, and uſeful Inftruments for
making the Avenues to it more smooth, re-
gular, and agreeable?
SIR,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
N° 7•
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 55
N°
7.
Saturday, May 15, 1725.
Nec fi quid olim lufit Anacreon
Delevit Etas.
SIR,
R
To HIBERNICUS.
HoRe
APIN, fpeaking of the nine Ly-
rick Poets mentioned by Petro-
nius, of whofe vaſt Labours ſo lit-
tle has defcended to us, fays, the
Fragments of Anacreon alone
are capable of giving him Comfort for the
Lofs of all the reft. On me, I muſt confefs,
the Fragments of Anacreon have a different
Effect; not that their Beauties give me leſs
Pleaſure, but more Pain, when by the De-
light I take in thofe that we have fav'd, I
meaſure the Delight I fhould have taken in
thoſe that we have loft; efpecially, when I
confider my felf as robb'd of this Delight,
not fo much thro' the Violence of Infidel-
Barbarians, as thro' the Zeal of over-pious
Chriftians. For John de Medicis, afterwards
Pope Leo the Tenth, informs us, when yet
E 4
a
56 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
a Boy, he uſed to hear Demetrius Chalcondyla
fay, the Greek Fathers formerly were held in
fuch high Eftimation by the Byzantine Em-
perors, that purely upon their account were
committed to the Flames many of the old
Greek Poets, particularly thoſe in whofe
Compofures were found the little Levities of
Love; that thus the Comedies of Menander,
Diphilus, Apollodorus, Philemon and Alexis,
with the Verfes of Sappho, Erinna, Ana-
creon, Mimnermus, Bion, Alcman, and Al-
caus were made away, and (among many
others) the Poems of Gregory Nazianzen
were fubftituted in their ſtead; which, as the
Pope goes on, however incitive of a warmer
Spirit of Devotion, were yet inferior to the
others, in true Propriety of the Attick Di-
alect, and flowing Elegance of the Greek
Tongue. But befides the Works of Gregory
of Nazianzum, thofe of the elder Apolli
naris, who had reduced the Old Teftament
into a perfect System of Poetry, were to
fupply the Antients: his Account of the Jew-
ifb Affairs from Adam down to Saul, which
he divided into four and twenty Books, each
in its Turn uſher'd in with a Letter of the
Greek Alphabet, in Epick Poetry was to ſtand
for Homer; and his other Pieces comprehen-
ding the rest of the facred Story, if in the
Comick way, for Menander; if in Tragick,
for Sophocles, or Euripides; and if in the
Lyrick, for Pindar: while in Profe Writing,
the Arguments of Bafil were to ferve for
thofe
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 57
thofe of Demofthenes; and the Dialogues of
Apollinaris the younger, which he compofed
out of the Epiftles and Gofpels, for thofe of··
Plato. Purſuant to this Scheme, they held
it in their Schools as finful for Chriftians to
read fuch Books as every where were filled
with the Names of Pagan Idols; and by a
Canon in the Council of Carthage exprefly
condemn'd the reading of them. But the
laft Coup de Grace was given to Learning by
Gregory the Great, who order'd the Palatine
Library at Rome to be burnt; that Library,
upon whoſe Walls the few of the Antients
that had eſcaped the Shipwreck of the Times,
had hung up as it were their votive Tablets.
By this we fee, how Virtue may have its Ex-
cefs, as well as Vice, and equally requires
Moderation; ſince theſe very Fathers, who
were remarkable for their Averfion to the
Antients, were, as Pope Leo tells us, no leſs
remarkable for their Virtue, Integrity and
Religion. But here let us digrefs a little to
applaud the Moderation of John of Conftan-
tinople, fecond to none of all the Fathers in
Piety and Learning, (he that for his fingular
Eloquence obtain'd the Sirname of Chry-
foftom) to whofe proper Care and Authority
we owe it, that the whole Works of Arifto-
phanes were not deftroy'd, as you may fee in
Fabricius, at the fame Juncture. Montaigne,
a Man of critical Obfervation, remarks upon
this Occafion, that when firft our Religion
began to gain Authority with the Laws, its
Zeal
58 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Zeal armed many againſt all forts of Pagan
Authors, whofe Lofs is ever to be deplor'd by
the Lovers of the Belles-Lettres ; a Zeal,
fays he, that if I am right, has done more
hurt to Learning, than all the Fury of the
Vandals. Of which Cornelius Tacitus is a
fufficient Teſtimony: for tho the Emperor
Tacitus, his Relation, had taken care to fill
all Libraries of the World with his Writings;
not ſo much as one intire Copy of them could
eſcape the curious Search of thofe that fought
to abolish them, for a few idle Claufes they
contained contrary to our Belief.
BuT of all the Sufferers of Antiquity, I
am touch'd with Grief for none more fenfibly,
than for Anacreon; whofe various and de-
lightful Verſes, I might fay wiſe (fince So-
crates is not aſham'd to give him that Title,
no more than Athenæus that of Chafte and
Sober) were committed to the Flames, not
for a few idle Claufes contrary to our Belief,
but, as we have ſeen above, for a few lit-
tle Levities of Love. I cannot forbear ap-
plying to this Subject two Lines of a memo-
rable French Tranflator, not a little to the
Purpoſe.
Ceux qui par trop fuyant Venus eftrivent,
Faillent autant que ceux qui trop la fuivent.
They that are too fevere, as faulty prove,
As they that too obfequious are to Love.
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 59
For who could be fo cruel as to fet the Mufes
at odds with Venus, fince fure no Deities fute
better together, or owe more to one another?
Whoever shall rob the Muſes of the Compa-
ny of Love, will rob them of their beſt En-
tertainment; as he that ſhall debar Cupid of
the Ornaments of the Mufes, will debar him
of his beſt Weapons. Anacreon, in his alle-
gorical way, feems to infinuate this Pofition,
where he tells us, that "Love once ftray-
"ing from his Mother, was taken Captive
"by the Mufes, who binding him in Chains
❝ of Flowers, gave him up to the Cuſtody of
"Beauty, their Attendant: Venus in fearch
❝ of her little Son, offers to ranſom him from
"his Slavery, while he, tho freed from his
"Chains, and fet at Liberty, chooſes of his
t own accord to ferve them ftill, preferring to
"Liberty itſelf, the Slavery of the Mufes."
BUT as to the Works of Anacreon, Sui-
das, befides his Odes, mentions fix or ſeven
other Species of his Poetry, among which
were Elegies, Hymns, and Iambicks, all loſt,
except a few Fragments of them preferv'd in
the Quotations of fome antient Authors. And
Barnes from this Paffage in Horace,
Et Fide Teia
Dices laborantes in uno
Penelopen, vitreamque Circen ;
ſuppoſes him to have written a Poem upon
the amorous Strife of Penelope and Circe, in
favour of Ulyſſes.
BUT
60
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
1
BUT to fum up all, Strabo tells us that the
Verfes of Anacreon were full of the Name of
Polycrates his great Benefactor: Now in all
the Remains of Anacreon there is not fo
much as any mention made of the Name of
Polycrates. And Lucian, talking of the
Murder of Polycrates by Orates, and his
Daughter's Application to Darius for Re-
venge, concludes, that he had drawn the
Particulars of that Account from the Verfes
of Anacreon. By which we may gueſs, how
little his Odes (the only intire Pieces we have
left) are in compariſon to his other Works.
However, little as they are, they do not mifs
of giving us great Delight, when we confider
their Beauties and Graces ever-fmiling, atten-
ded with an Air fo delicate and eaſy, that in
the Judgment of Rapin, there is nothing in
Antiquity comparable to them. And truly,
if Poetry, as the Criticks define it, be but a
Copy of Nature, appearing ftill more beauti-
ful, the more it reſembles its Original, no
Poetry can vie for Beauty with that of A-
nacreon, fince none can boaſt a nearer Refem-
blance of Nature. Where can we find a
Style more foft and tender, or a Fancy more
free and fprightly, yet void of thoſe little
Witticifms of Turns and Points, fo meanly
eſteem'd by the Antients, tho fo highly by
the Moderns? Madam Dacier, in the Preface
to her Anacreon, addreffing herſelf to thoſe
who neither underſtanding Greek nor Latin,
might poffibly complain, that the Odes of
Anacreon
142
محمد
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
61
Anacreon ended in a manner they call cold,
that is to fay, without a Point, informs them,
that this was the ordinary Style of the ſound-
eft Antiquity. Open a Homer, and you will
find good Senfe thro'out, in every Page, in
every Line: but then you will not find one
fingle Point; he imitates Nature in all, he
follows Reafon, and never prefents to the
Imagination, an Image that is not lively and
noble. This is the Beauty of Anacreon.
The Latins alfo were a long time before
they knew the Point; and if they fome-
times made uſe of it, 'twas ftill with fuch
reſerve, that we muſt rather admire their
Judgment in ufing it fo fparingly, than their
Default in ufing it at all. But yet 'tis certain,
that when it was moſt in vogue among them,
'twas at the time when they had moft dege-
nerated in their Actions from the Virtue, and
in their Writings from the Purity of their
Anceſtors. Whoever would draw a Parallel of
thoſe Authors, by whom the Point was moſt
or leaſt affected, will be furniſh'd with nota-
ble Examples out of the Epigrams of Mar-
tial and Catullus; thofe of the firft ever
ending in the Point, thofe of the latter in
the Anacreontique; that is to fay, in a Word
that carries fome furprizing Sting in it, or in
the Simplicity of fome delicate Expreffion.
And how far the latter way of writing was
preferable to the former, in the Opinion. of
Andreas Naugerius, an excellent Judge of
Poetry, we may gather from the yearly Sa-
crifice
>
62
HIBERNICU s's Letters.
crifice he uſed to make of a Volume of
Martial's Epigrams to the Manes of Catul-
lus. For a farther Character of the Delica-
cies of Anacreon, I fhall refer you to the
Account Cupid gives of them, as Mr. Cow-
ley makes him addrefs the Poet in his own
Language.
All thy Verfe is fofter far,
Than the downy Feathers are
Of my Wings, or of my Arrows,
Of my Mother's Doves and Sparrows.
Sweet as Lovers freſheſt Kiffes,
Or their riper following Bliſſes;
Graceful, cleanly, smooth, and round,
All with Venus' Girdle bound.
ส
Nợ 8.
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 63
N° 8.
Saturday, May 22, 1725.
The Continuation of our former.
Anacreonta Teium,
Qui perfæpe cavâ teftudine flevit amorem,
Non elaboratum ad pedem.
SIR,
A
To HIBERNICUS.
HOR.
FTER having faid fo much in
the commendation of Anacreon,
I thought it not improper to fend
you a Tranſlation of one of his
moft beautiful Odes, in which alone (I ſpeak
as to the Original) are all the Elegancies I
. have deſcrib'd; but chiefly I fend it to you
for the Benefit of your Female Readers, who,
better by Example than Precept, will learn
to put a jufter Value upon the wretchedly
witty and romantick Style with which they
are daily perfecuted in their Love-Verfes.
But firſt I muft obferve, that in this Ode
I do not ſtudy to give you the very Words
he fpoke, ſo much as his manner of ſpeak-
64 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
ing; and therefore fhall not take offence at
fuch as will not allow it to be a Tranſlation
of Anacreon, if they will only allow it
to be an Anacreontique. And for this liber-
ty of Tranflating I fhall plead the Autho-
rity of Lord Rofcommon, in whofe Judg-
ment, all Lovers of the Mufes muft implicitly
acquiefce.
Words in one Language elegantly us'd,
Will hardly in another be excus'd:
And fome that Rome admir'd in Cæfar's Time,
May neither fuit our Genius nor our Clime.
The Genuine Senſe intelligibly told,
Shews a Tranflator, both diſcreet and bold.
A
ANACREONTIQUE.
S it happen'd on a Night,
Full of Rain and void of Light,
Difmal Night, when not a Star
Shone in all the Hemifphere;
And on Earth by fleep opprefs'd,
Ev'ry Soul was gone to reft;
Love, unknown to me before,
Love flood knocking at my Door.
Whence, and who, fo late at Night,
(Said I, waking in a fright)
Dare fo rude a knocking keep,
To disturb my downy fleep,
Sleep from ev'ry Sorrow free,
Sleep fo rare a Guest to me?
Little
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 65
Little.caufe have you to fear,
Whence we come, or who we are,
Love, the fubtle Rogue, replies,
Gentle Stranger, pray thee, rife;
And fome tender Care imploy
On a little harmless Boy,
Who long wandring up and down,
Unacquainted with the Town,
Trembling, cold, and wet all o'er,
Here have lit upon a Door.
Mov'd at what the Urchin faid,
Simple Fool, I rofe from Bed,
Struck a light, and op'd the Door,
Where a little Boy I spy'd,
Wings that on his Shoulders wore,
Bow and Arrows by his fide.
Entring, I his Name inquire;
Lead me, Mafter, to the fire;
For my Name, he made reply,
You shall know it by and by.
I led him to't, all feeming mild,
And as he faid, a harmless Child.
His little Hands ſo chill with cold,
In mine to warm, I fondly bold;
His little Locks, fo wet with Rain,
I gently wring and dry again.
When firait reviving by my care,
When warm'd his Hands, and dry'd his Hair,
Landlord! faid he, I fain wou'd know,
How fares my Dart, how fares my Bow?
If proof against the Wet or no,
Landlord! How fares my Dart and Bow?
Vol. I.
F
He
66
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
·
He bent his Bow, he fixt his Dart,
And hot me full into the Heart.
Stung with unfufferable Pain,
Name?
I drew the Dart with might and main;
With might and main I drew the Dart,
But left th' impreffion on my Heart,
Of her whofe Image it did bear,
Cloe, the Gods peculiar Care.
All this he faw, and feeing fmil'd,
No more a little harmless Child,
But little Imp, devoid of ſhame ;
Then, faid he, would you know my
Cupid I'm call'd by Gods above,
By Men below, the Pow'r of Love;
The Pow'r in Men and Gods inſpires,
All tender Thoughts, and am'rous Fires.
Above when minded to be great,
In Venus' Court I keep my State,
Venus, my Mother, Queen of Love,
Whom yet I no more fear than Jove;
Jove often turn'd, to fhew my Pow'r,
To Bull or Swan, to Flame or Show'r.
Below, when weary of the Skies,
I keep incog. in Cloe's Eyes,
Whence all my private pranks I play,
And wound a thoufand Hearts a Day:
A thousand-
ay! as many Hearts,
As he has Looks, or I have Darts.
But fare you well, for now I know,
Safe is my Dart, fafe is
my Bow
Happy for you, could you but fay,
Your Heart were half as fafe as they.
IF
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 67
ว
IF Fable, as is ſaid, be fo effential to Poe-
try, that there can be no Poetry without it,
Fable, as a French Critick obſerves, being
to Poetry, what the Figure is to the marble
Statue, no Poet fure was ever fo happy as
Anacreon; ever wrapt up in an Allegory fo
plain and eaſy, as fhews its meaning, in its
feeming Unwillingneſs to fhew it. Like the
Latentis proditor intimo
Gratus Puella rifus ab angulo,
Or the
Pignus direptum lacertis
Aut digito male pertinaci;
Which Horace, in my Lord Foppington's
words, touches to fuch a Nicety. The La-
dies will beſt conceive what I mean by this
feeming Unwillingneſs, when I compare it to
the Net-work, they often cover their Bofoms
with, which thro' a thouſand little Peep-holes
difcovers thofe Beauties it ſeems put on to
hide; or to the Language of their Eyes,
which never more clearly reveal their Paffion,
than when they moſt endeavour to conceal it.
It is the Behaviour of Virgil's Galatea, and
Gallus's Puella.
Malo me Galatea petit lafciva Puella,
Et fugit ad falices, at fe cupit ante videri.
Virg.
Erubuit Vultus ipfa Puella meos.
Et nunc fubridens latebras fugitiva petebat ;
Non tamen effugiens, tota latere volens:
F 2
Sed
68
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Sed magis ex aliqua cupiebat parte videri
Latior hoc multo, quod male tecta foret.
Whom Mr. Pope has fo well copied in the
Delia and Silvia of his Paftoral call'd the
Spring;
STREP HON.
Me gentle Delia beckons from the Plain,
Then hid in Shades, eludes her eager Swain;
But feigns a Laugh to fee me fearch around,
And by that Laugh the willing Fair is found.
DAPHNI S.
The Sprightly Silvia tript along the Green,
She runs, but hopes he does not run unſeen;
While a kind Glance at her Purfuer flies,
How much at variance are her Feet and Eyes?
Such willing Nymphs are the Fables of
Anacreon, of which I have the rather taken
notice, becauſe I do not remember they
have been obferv'd in that Light by any of
the Criticks.
Nọ gi
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 69
N° 9.
Saturday, May 29, 1725.
Quicquid Chartis amicitur ineptis.
HOR.
SIR,
A
To HIBERNICUS.
SI was always exceedingly fond
of your Defign, I cannot but be
equally forry, that I fhould have
any occafion to be diffatisfied with
your manner of executing it. Tho
this be but a fcurvy Compliment to an Au-
thor, yet if you have all that Philofophy in
your Temper which you have made a Show
of in your Writings, you will not be affront-
ed at it; efpecially when you confider my
Reaſons for complaining of you. What I
chiefly find fault with is, That in a Paper
intended for the Uſe of the Publick, you
write too much to a particular Tafte. Your
Reflections are too general, and too fpecu-
lative, to be either of great Ufe or Enter-
tainment to the Bulk of your Readers. I
could therefore wifh, that instead of your
abſtract Reaſonings and Obſervations on ge
70
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
neral Life, you would apply yourſelf to cor-
rect thoſe many Diſorders and Abſurdities
that the prefent Age is fo very fruitful in, to
weed out which is the proper Bufinefs of fuch
a Paper as yours; fince they commonly lie too
low to be levell'd at either by the Penalties of
the Laws, or the facred Satir of the Palpit.
THERE is an Evil of this kind which I
have often wifh'd you would take under your
Confideration: I mean the bad Taſte of Wri-
ting that has of late Years fo prevailed among
the Inhabitants of theſe Iſlands, and the vile
choice of Subjects that has been made by
many of our Writers. Wit and Learning
fhould never be employed but in ſuch a man-
ner, as to be made fubfervient to Virtue and
good Manners. Yet how little has there
ap-
pear'd of late among us conducive to thofe
excellent Purpoſes; I mean from thofe Gen-
tlemen that write to the polite and gay part
of Mankind? This is the more furprizing,
when we have fo many admirable Authors
ftill living, that are grown grey in the Service
of Virtue, and have acquir'd a Reputation,
which affords the greateſt Encouragement to
others to lay out their Wit and Learning in
the fame manner.
FROM the lying by of theſe great Men, the
Sages of Grubfireet have taken the advantage
of uttering vaft Quantities of their Merchan-
dize thro' the Nation, to the infinite Detri-
ment of the Fair-Trader, and great Dif
couragement of the Staple Manufactures,
#L
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
71
The English Reader has been much impoſed
upon by Tranflations from the Latin and
French, by People who underſtand neither
the Language from whence, nor that into
which they made the Verfion. Every one
will readily recollect Inftances enough of this,
to fave me the labour of mentioning them.
And which is ftill more intolerable, the Au-
thors we are in this manner fupplied with,
are very frequently a Scandal to their own
Tongue, before they come over to do Pe-
nance in ours.
THIS every one will own to be a very
great Grievance; but there is ftill another,
which, tho not ſo often taken notice of, has
an equal tendency to corrupt the Taſte of
the more young and unwary fort of Readers.
Such are the fabulous Adventures and Me-
moirs of Pirates, Whores, and Pickpockets,
wherewith for fome time paſt the Prefs has fo
prodigiouſly ſwarmed. Your Robinson Cru-
foe's, Moll Flanders's, Sally Salisbury's, and
John Shephard's, have afforded notable In-
ftances how eaſy it is to gratify our Curio-
fity, and how indulgent we are to the Bio-
graphers of Newgate, who have been as
greedily read by People of the better fort, as
the Compilers of Laft Speeches and Dying
Words by the Rabble. It were well how-
ever, if the Diſorder ftopt here. It may,
for ought I know, be of fome uſe to know
the Artifices of Sharpers, and the Manners
and Cuſtoms of Newgate. It may perhaps
72 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
preſerve a Country Booby, at fome time or
other, from being made a Property on his
coming to Town, or, it may be, enroll'd as
a Member of that hopeful Community. But
fo luxuriant is our Invention, that it has fur-
nifhed us Performances, which it would be the
higheſt Effort of Wit to find out any Ufe
for at all, unleſs in their Deſtruction.
A NEW Vein of Wit has been lately dif
cover'd, and a Method of Writing, which
may be properly enough diftinguiſhed by the
Name of the Unfavoury; a kind of Back-
ward Perfection in Drollery. The Wonder-
ful Wonder of Wonders, is, if I miſtake not,
intended as a Satir on the human Pofteriors.
I am utterly at a loſs to know what Offence
this Part of our Body has given this witty
Author, to deferve fuch unmerciful Treat-
ment, or by what Authority it comes under
the Inspection of any one, after it has gone
thro' its legal Courfe of Difcipline in the
Grammar School, and received its Manumif
fion in due form. I have read a Syſtem or
two of Anatomy, that I might fee in what
particular Mufcle, Vein, or Artery belong-
ing to this Region, the Ridicule could lie
but upon the moſt accurate Obſervation could
find no Fund of Mirth there, unleſs it were
to a Surgeon. For which reafon, befides that
it betrays great want of Courage to attack us
thus in the Rear, I would humbly propoſe it
to the Wiſdom of the Nation, that all the
Copies of this Wonderful Piece be fecured
;
in
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 73
in a proper Place, and applied to the Use of
the Party offended.
THE Art of F- ing in two Parts com-
plete, &c. is another witty Treatife of the
fame Nature, and writ with equal Spirit
and Fancy, and in a Language that bears a
very natural Similitude with the Art it endea-
vours to teach. I cannot but think it for the
Intereft of the Publick, that the Natives of
thefe Kingdoms fhould be infpired with a bet-
ter Ambition, than to excel in fuch an unman-
nerly Qualification. For I doubt not but ſe-
veral ingenious Prize-makers have already
taken the hint to raiſe Inteftine Commotions
among the Country People on this account,
and make young Fellows as emulous of a ſtrong
explosive Faculty, as they formerly uſed to
be of their Dexterity in handling the Quarter-
ſtaff and Cudgel. And by this means, it may
come to be as creditable, in a fhort time, to
Stink an Antagoniſt out of the Field, as to
fend him away with a broken Head; and a
Fellow that has not the Art of making Fair
Speeches, need not deſpair of winning his
Sweet-heart, provided he can but falute her
with a foul Smell.
But the Author of Some few ferious and
cleanly Meditations on a Bog-houſe, ſeems to
have reached a Strain beyond any of his
Competitors in this way of Writing, and it
is to be hoped has gone very deep into his
Subject, before he ventured to publish his
Thoughts to the World upon it. As he is
perhaps
74 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
perhaps the firſt Rhetorician that ever paint-
ed the Beauties of the Dunghil, ſo I ſhould be
extremely glad he were encouraged with a
Monopoly of the Business, and a Privilege
to hinder all Interlopers from having the leaſt
Finger in it.
·
I CAN hardly imagine what has put our
modern Wits upon this new Scent of Ridi-
cule. True Humour, I am fure, there is none
in it For nothing in Nature is ridiculous,
but as it is either mifapplied where it is, or
affected where it is not; in both which Cafes
the Laugh rifes from Men, and not from
Things. But perhaps the Defign of theſe
Authors, in writing their Dirty Effays, was
to gratify the Itch of Scribbling, without
running the Risk of being mauled by the Cri-
ticks. If they had only this in view, it muſt
be owned, that the Method they have taken
has been admirably well calculated for ſuch an
End. For they are hereby indeed enabled,
like the Stink-pot-flingers of Antiquity, to
keep their Enemies at a due Diſtance. Were
it not for that, the Artillery might with a
great deal of Eaſe be turned on themſelves.
As nothing is more ufual than to purſue a
Hint of this kind, that has been once ſtart-
ed, I expect, there will be a great Number of
more elegant Pieces fhortly publiſhed upon
the Model of thefe worthy Originals; and
that there ſhall not be a Place of Naftiness in
Great Britain, or Ireland, but what fhall
contribute to the Wit and Mirth of his Ma-
2__J._
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 75
jeſty's Liege People, nor an Author among
us take a Doſe of Phyfick, but with a View
to the Advancement of Learning, and refi-
ning our Tafte. And as no body knows how
far Men will go, when they are once got in-
to the Road of Diſcoveries, I doubt not, but
in ſome convenient time, our Pifs-Pots may
furniſh Materials for fine Writing, and many
fublime Meditations be Squirted out of a
Glifter-Pipe. And ſhould there ever happen
to be a Club of this exquifite Relish erected,
I fuppofe, it will be one of their fundamen-
tal Conftitutions to work out all their Com-
pofitions fitting upon a Stool, and take their
Denomination, like the Peripateticks, and
fome other Sects of the antient Philofophers,
from the Pofture in which they perform their
Exercifes.
I AM forry, I ſhould be obliged to dwell
fo long upon fo indecent a Subject, which
prefents no Idea to the Imagination that does
not tend either to affront, or pollute it. But
the Evil feems to be fo growing among us, that
there was a Neceffity of turning it into Ridi-
cule, in the Style proper to it; fince to have
argued feriouſly againſt it, would be little
lels impertinent, than it is to be guilty of it.
How deſpicable muft they appear in the
Eyes of Men of Senfe, who can thus fit
down, and in cool Blood compofe Strings
of ambiguous Phrafes, to ferve as Vehicles
for their immodeſt and beaſtly Images? A
Man of common Civility would bluſh to
vent
76
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
vent fuch Diſcourſe in well-bred Company;
and yet theſe monstrous Writers are not afha-
med to let the World know that their vile
Thoughts accompany them to their Cloſets,
and are the Buſineſs of their Retirements.
There is no harm in Mirth, provided it be
managed fo as not to be fhocking to Decen-
cy and good Manners; which whenever we
tranfgrefs, we grow Merrier than Wifer, and
inftead of acquiring the Character of Agree-
able, bring upon our felves the juſt Contempt
due to Buffoonery.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
1
PERDOMISOS.
No IO.
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 77
N° 10.
Saturday, June 5, 1725.
-Rapias in jus malis ridentem alienis.
TO HIBERNICUS.
HOR.
HERE is fcarce any thing that
concerns human Nature, which
T does not deferve to be inquired
into 1 fend you fome Thoughts
upon a very common Subject,
Laughter; which you may publiſh, if you
think they can be of any uſe, to help us to
underſtand what fo often happens in our own
Minds, and to know the Ufe for which it is
defign'd in the Conſtitution of our Nature.
ĂRISTOTLE, in his Art of Poetry,
has very juſtly explained the Nature of one
Species of Laughter, viz. the Ridiculing of
Perfons, the Occafion or Object of which
he tells us, is Αμάρτημα τι καὶ αἴχος ανώδυνον καὶ οὐ
φθαρτικόν ; Some Miftake, or fome Turpitude,
without grievous Pain, and not very per-.
nicious or deftructive. But this he never in-
tended as a general Account of all forts of
Laughter.
BUT
m
r
ch
78
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
•
Bur Mr. Hobbes, who very much owes
his Character of a Philofopher to his affu-
ming poſitive folemn Airs, which he uſes moſt
when he is going to affert fome palpable Ab-
furdity, or fome ill-natur'd Nonfenfe, affures
us, that Laughter is nothing elfe but fudden
Glory, arifing from fome fudden Concep-
tion of fome Eminency in our felves, by
compariſon with the Infirmity of others,
or with our own formerly: For Men laugh
at the Follies of themſelves paft, when they
come fuddenly to remembrance, except
they bring with them any prefent Difho-
• nour.'
THIS Notion the Authors of the Spectators
N° 47. have adopted from Mr. Hobbes. That
bold Author having carry'd on his Inquiries, in
a fingular manner, without regard to Autho-
rities; and having fallen into a way of ſpeak-
ing, which was much more intelligible than
that of the Schoolmen, foon became agreeable
to many free Wits of his Age. His grand
View was to deduce all human Actions from
Self-Love by fome bad Fortune he has
over-look'd every thing which is generous or
kind in Mankind; and reprefents Men in that
Light in which a thorow Knave or Coward be-
holds them, fufpecting all Friendship, Love, or
focial Affection, of Hypocrify, or ſelfiſh
Defign or Fear.
THE learned World has often been told
that Puffendorf had ſtrongly imbib'd Hobbes's
firſt Principles, altho he draws much better
Confe-
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
79
Confequences from them; and this laft Au-
thor, as he is certainly much preferable to
the generality of the School-men, in diftinct
intelligible Reaſoning, has been made the
grand Inftructor in Morals to all who have of
late given themſelves to that Study: Hence
it is that the old Notions of natural Affecti-
ons, and kind Inſtincts, the Senfus communis,
the Decorum, and Honeftum, are almoſt ba-
niſh'd out of our Books of Morals; we muſt
never hear of them in any of our Lectures
for fear of innate Ideas: All muſt be Intereſt,
and ſome ſelfiſh View; Laughter it ſelf muft
be a Joy from the fame Spring.
IF Mr. Hobbes's Notion be juſt, then firſt,
There can be no Laughter on any Occafion
where we make no Comparison of our felves
to others, or of our prefent State to a worſe
State, or where we do not obferve fome Su-
periority of our felves above fome other
Thing: And again, it muſt follow, that every
fudden Appearance of Superiority over ano-
ther, muſt excite Laughter, when we attend
to it. If both thefe Conclufions be falfe, the
Notion from whence they are drawn muſt be
ſo too.
ift. THEN, that Laughter often ariſes
without any imagined Superiority of our-
felves, may appear from one great Fund of
Pleafantry, the Parody, and Burlesque Al-
lufion; which move Laughter in thoſe who
may have the higheſt Veneration for the Wri-
ting alluded to, and alſo admire the Wit of
2
the
80
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
the Perſon who makes the Allufion. Thus
many a profound Admirer of the Machinery
in Homer and Virgil, has laugh'd heartily at
the Interpofition of Pallas in Hudibras, to
fave the bold Talgol from the Knight's Piftol,
preſented to the Outfide of his Skull:
But Pallas came in Shape of Ruft,
And 'twixt the Spring and Hammer thrust
Her Gorgon Shield, which made the Cock
Stand fiff, as 'twere transform'd to Stock.
And few who read this, imagine themſelves fu-
perior either to Homer or Butler; we indeed
generally imagine ourſelves fuperior in Senfe
to the valorous Knight, but not in this Point,
of firing rufty Piſtols. And pray, Would any
Mortal have laughed, had the Poet told, in
a fimple unadorned manner, that his Knight
attempted to fhoot Talgol, but his Piſtol was
fo rufty that it would not give fire? and yet
this would have given us the fame ground of
fudden Glory from our Superiority over the
doughty Knight.
AGAIN, to what do we compare our
felves, or imagine ourſelves fuperior, when
we laugh at this fantaſtical Imitation of the
Poetical Imagery, and Similitudes of the
Morning?
The Sun, long fince, had in the Lap
Of Thetis taken out his Nap;
And, like a Lobfter boil'd, the Morn,
From black to red began to turn.
MANY
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
81
MANY an Orthodox Scotch Presbyterian
(which Sect few accuſe of difregard for the
holy Scriptures) has been put to it to
preferve his Gravity, upon hearing the Ap-
plication of Scripture made by his Country-
man Dr. Pitcairn, as he obferv'd a Crowd in
the Streets about a Maſon, who had fallen a-
long with his Scaffold, and was over-whelmed
with the Ruins of the Chimney which he
had been building, and which fell immediate-
ly after the Fall of the poor Mafon; Bleſſed
are the Dead which die in the Lord, for they
reft from their Labours, and their Works
follow them. And yet few imagine themſelves
fuperior either to the Apoftle or the Doctor.
Their Superiority to the poor Mafon, I'm fure,
could never have raiſed fuch Laughter, for
this occur'd to them before the Doctor's Con-
folation; in this Cafe no Opinion of Superi-
ority could have occafioned the Laughter,
unleſs we fay, that People imagined them-
felves fuperior to the Doctor in Religion: but
an imagined Superiority to a Doctor in Re-
ligion, is not a matter fo rare as to raiſe fud-
den Joy; and, with People who value Řeli-
gion, the Impiety of another is no matter of
Laughter.
IT is faid, "That when Men of Wit
"make us laugh, it is by reprefenting fome
"Oddneſs or Infirmity in themſelves, or o-
thers." Thus Allufions made on trifling Oc-
cafions, to the moſt folemn figured Speeches
4 See the Spectator.
Vol. I.
G
of
82
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
of great Writers, contain fuch an obvious Im-
propriety, that we imagine ourſelves incapa
ble of fuch Miſtakes as the Alluder feeming-
ly falls into; fo that in this Cafe too, there
is an imagin'd Superiority. But in anſwer to
this, we may obferve, that we often laugh at
fuch Allufions, when we are conſcious that
the Perſon who raifes the Laugh, knows a-
bundantly the jufteft Propriety of fpeaking,
and knows, at prefent, the Oddness and Im-
propriety of his own Allufion as well as any
in Company; nay, laughs at it himſelf: We
often admire his Wit in fuch Allufions, and
ſtudy to imitate him in it, as far as we can.
Now, what fudden Senfe of Glory, or Joy in
our Superiority, can arife from obferving a
Quality in another, which we ſtudy to imi-
tate, I cannot imagine. I doubt, if Men
compared themſelves with the Alluder, whom
they ſtudy to imitate, they would rather of
ten grow grave or forrowful.
NAY, farther, this is fo far from Truth,
that imagined Superiority moves our Laugh-
ter, that one would imagine from fome In-
ſtances the very contrary: For if Laughter
aroſe from our imagined Superiority, then,
the more that any Object appear'd inferior to
us, the greater would be the Jeft; and the
nearer any one came to an Equality with us,
or Refemblance of our Actions, the lefs we
fhould be moved with Laughter. But we
fee, on the contrary, that fome Ingenuity in
Dogs and Monkeys, which comes near to
fome
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 83
fome of our own Arts, very often makes us
merry; whereas their duller Actions, in which
they are much below us, are no matter of
Jeft at all. Whence the Author in the Spec-
tator drew his Obfervation, That the Actions
of Beafts which move our Laughter, bear a
Refemblance to a human Blunder, I confefs I
cannot gueſs; I fear the very contrary is true,
that their imitation of our grave wiſe Actions
would be fitteft to raiſe Mirth in the Obferver.
THE fecond Part of the Argument, that
Opinion of Superiority fuddenly incited in us
does not move Laughter, feems the moſt ob-
vious thing imaginable: If we obferve an Ob-
ject in pain while we are at eafe, we are in
greater danger of Weeping than Laughing :
And yet here is occafion for Hobbes's fudden
Joy. It muſt be a very merry State in which
a fine Gentleman is, when well dreffed, in
his Coach, he paffes our Streets, where he
will fee fo many ragged Beggars, and Porters
and Chairmen fweating at their Labour, on
every fide of him. It is a great pity that we
had not an Infirmary or Lazar-houſe to retire
to in cloudy Weather, to get an Afternoon
of Laughter at thefe inferior Objects: Strange,
that none of our Hobbifts baniſh all Canary
Birds and Squirrels, and Lap-Dogs, and
Puggs, and Cats out of their Houfes, and
fubftitute in their Places Affes, and Owls,
and Snails, and Oysters to be merry upon.
From theſe they might have higher Joys of
Superiority, than from thofe with whom
84 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
we now pleaſe ourſelves. Pride, or an high
Opinion of ourſelves, muſt be entirely incon-
fiftent with Gravity; Emptinefs muſt always
make Men folemn in their Behaviour; and
conſcious Virtue and great Abilities muſt al-
ways be upon the Sneer. An Orthodox Be-
liever who is very fure that he is in the true
way to Salvation, muft always be merry upon
Hereticks, to whom he is fo much fuperior
in his own Opinion; and no other Paffion
but Mirth ſhould arife upon hearing of their
Heterodoxy. In general, all Men of true
Senfe, and Reflection, and Integrity, of great
Capacity for Bufinefs, and Penetration into
the Tempers and Interefts of Men, muſt be
the merrieſt little Grigs imaginable; Demo-
critus muſt be the fole Leader of all the Phi-
lofophers; and perpetual Laughter muſt fuc-
ceed into the Place of the Long Beard,
To be the Grace
Both of our Wifdom and our Face.
It is pretty ſtrange, that the Authors whom
we mentioned above, have never diſtinguiſh'd
between the words Laughter and Ridicule :
this laſt is but one particular Species of the
former, when we are laughing at the Follies
of others; and in this Species there may be
fome pretence to alledge that fome imagined
Superiority may occafion it; but then there
are innumerable Inftances of Laughter, where
no Perſon is ridiculed; nor does he who
laughs compare himſelf to any thing what-
foever.
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 85
foever. Thus how often do we laugh at fome
out-of-the-way Deſcription of natural Ob-
jects, to which we never compare our State
at all. I fanfy few have ever read the City
Shower without a ſtrong Difpofition to Laugh-
ter; and inſtead of imagining any Superiority,
are very fenfible of a Turn of Wit in the Au-
thor which they deſpair of imitating: Thus
what relation to our Affairs has that Simile in
Hudibras,
Inftead of Trumpet and of Drum,
Which makes the Warriour's Stomach come,
And whets Mens Valour Sharp, like Beer
By Thunder turn'd to Vinegar.
The Laughter is not here raiſed againſt either
Valour or martial Mufick, but merely by the
• wild refemblance of a mean Event.
AND then farther, even in Ridicule itſelf.
there muſt be ſomething elfe than bare Opini-
on to raiſe it, as may appear from this, that if
any one would relate in the fimpleſt manner
thefe very Weakneffes of others, their extra-
vagant Paffions, their abfurd Opinions, upon
which the Man of Wit would rally, fhould
we hear the beſt Vouchers of all the Facts al-
ledged, we ſhall not be difpofed to Laughter
by bare Narration; or fhould one do a real
important Injury to another, by taking ad-
vantage of his Weakneſs, or by fome perni-
cious Fraud let us fee another's Simplicity, this
is no matter of Laughter: and yet theſe im-
portant Cheats do really diſcover our Superi-
86 HIBERNICUS's Letters,
ority over the Perfon cheated, more than the
trifling Impoſtures of our Humourifts. The
Opinion of our Superiority may raiſe a fedate
Joy in our Minds, very different from Laugh
ter; but fuch a Thought feldom ariſes in our
Minds in the hurry of a chearful Converſation
among Friends, where there is often an high
mutual Efteem. But we go to our Clofets
often to ſpin out fome fine Conjectures about
the Principles of our Actions, which no Mortal
is conſcious of in himſelf during the Action;
thus the fame Authors above-mentioned tell
us, that the Defire which we have to fee tra-
gical Reprefentations is, becauſe of the fecret
Pleaſure we find in thinking ourſelves fecure
from fuch Evils; we know from what Sect
this Notion was derived.
Quibus ipfe malis liber es, quia cernere fuave. Lucr.
१
THIS Pleaſure muſt indeed be a fecret one,
ſo very fecret, that many a kind compaffionate
Heart was never confcious of it, but felt itſelf
în a continual ftate of Horror and Sorrow
our defiring fuch Sights flows from a kind In-
ftinct of Nature, a fecret Bond between us
and our Fellow-Creatures.
Nature imperio gemimus cum funus adulte
Virginis occurrit, vel terra clauditur Infans.
Quis enim bonus.
Ulla aliena fibi credat mala.
Juven,
17
N° 11
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 87
N° II.
Saturday, June 12, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Humano capiti cervicem, pictor equinam
Jungere fi velit, & varias inducere plumas
Undique collatis membris, ut turpiter atrum
Definat in pifcem mulier formofa fuperne,
Spectatum admiffi, Rifum teneatis amici
SIR,
I
HOR.
Br
N my former Letter, I attempted
to thew that Mr. Hobbes's Account Hale
of Laughter was not juft. I fhall
now endeavour to diſcover ſome
other Ground of that Senfation,
Action, Paffion, or Affection, I know not
which of them a Philofopher would call it.
THE ingenious Mr. Addifon, in his Trea-
tife of The Pleasures of the Imagination, has
juſtly obſerv'd many fublimer Senſations than
thofe commonly mention'd among Philofo-
phers: He obferves particularly, that we re-
ceive Senfations of Pleaſure from thofe Objects
which are great, new, or beautiful; and on
the contrary, that Objects which are more
narrow and confined, or deformed, and irre-
88 i
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
gular, give us difagreeable Ideas. It is unquef-
tionable, that we have a great number of
Perceptions, which one can ſcarcely reduce
to any of the five Senfes, as they are com-
monly explained; fuch as either the Ideas of
Grandeur, Dignity, Decency, Beauty, Har-
mony; or on the other hand, of Meanness,
Bafenefs, Indecency, Deformity; and that
we apply theſe Ideas not only to material Ob-
jects, but to Characters, Abilities, Actions.
Ir may be farther obſerved, that by fome
ftrange Affociations of Ideas made in our In-
fancy, we have frequently fome of theſe I-
deas recurring along with a great many Ob-
jects, with which they have no other Con-
nection than what Cuftom and Education, or
frequent Allufions give them, or at moſt, fome
very diſtant Reſemblance. The very Affec-
tions of our Minds are afcribed to inanimate
Objects; and fome Animals, perfect enough
in their own kind, are made conftant Emblems
of fome Vices or Meannefs; whereas other
Kinds are made Emblems of the contrary
Qualities. For Inftances of theſe Affociations,
partly from Nature, partly from Cuſtom, we
may take the following ones; Sanctity in our
Churches, Magnificence in publick Buildings,
Affection between the Oak and Ivy, the Elin
and Vine; Hofpitality in a Shade, a pleaſant
Senfation of Grandeur in the Sky, the Sea,
and Mountains, diftinct from a bare Appre-
henfion or Image of their Extenfion; Solem-
nity and Horror in fhady Woods. An Afs is
the
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 89
the common Emblem of Stupidity and Sloth,
a Swine of ſelfiſh Luxury; an Eagle of a
great Genius; a Lion of Intrepidity; an
Ant or Bee of low Induſtry, and prudent Oe-
conomy. Some inanimate Objects have in
like manner fome acceffary Ideas of Mean-
nefs, either for fome natural Reaſon, or oftner
by mere Chance and Cuſtom.
Now, the fame ingenious Author obferves,
in the Spectator Vol. I. N° 62. that what we
call a great Genius, fuch as becomes a he-
roick Poet, gives us Pleaſure by filling the
Mind with great Conceptions; and therefore
they bring moſt of their Similitudes and Me-
taphors from Objects of Dignity and Gran-
deur, where the Refemblance is generally
very obvious. This is not ufually called
Wit, but fomething nobler. What we call
graveWit, confifts in bringing fuch reſembling
Ideas together, as one could fcarce have
imagined had fo exact a Relation to each o-
ther; or when the Reſemblance is carry'd on
thro' many more Particulars than we could
have at firſt expected: And this therefore
gives the Pleaſure of Surprize. In this fe-
rious Wit, tho we are not folicitous about
the Grandeur of the Images, we muſt ſtill
beware of bringing in Ideas of Bafeness or
Deformity, unleſs we are ftudying to repre-
fent an Object as bafe and deformed. Now
this fort of Wit is feldom apt to move Laugh-
ter, more than heroick Poetry.
THAT
90 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
THAT then which feems generally the
Cauſe of Laughter, is The bringing toge-
ther of Images which have contrary addi-
tional Ideas, as well as fome Refemblance
in the principal Idea: This Contraft be-
tween Ideas of Grandeur, Dignity, Sanc-
tity, Perfection, and Ideas of Meanness,
Bafenefs, Profanity, feems to be the very
• Spirit of Burleſque; and the greateſt Part
of our Raillery and Jeft are founded upon
6
• it.'
WE alfo find ourfelves moved to Laughter
by an overſtraining of Wit, by bringing Re-
femblances from Subjects of a quite different
kind from the Subject to which they are com-
pared. When we fee, inſtead of the Eaſineſs,
and natural Reſemblance which conſtitutes
true Wit, a forced ſtraining of a Likeneſs,
our Laughter is apt to arife; as alfo, when
the only Reſemblance is not in the Idea,
• but in the Sound of the Words.' And this
is the Matter of Laughter in the Pun.
·
>
LET us fee if this Thought may not be
confirmed in many Inftances. If any Writing
has obtained an high Character for Grandeur,
Sanctity, Inspiration, or fublimity of Thoughts,
and boldness of Images; the Application of
any known Sentence of fuch Writings to
low, vulgar, or baſe Subjects, never fails to
divert the Audience, and fet them a laugh-
ing. This Fund of Laughter the Antients
had by Allufions to Homer: Of this the
Lives of fome of the Philofophers in Dio-
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 91
genes Laertius fupply abundance of Inftan-
ces. Our late Burlefque Writers derive a
great part of their Pleafantry from their in-
troducing, on the moft trifling Occafions,
Allufions to fome of the bold Schemes, or
Figures, or Sentences of the great Poets, up-
on the moſt folemn Subjects. Hudibras and
Don Quixote will fupply one with Inſtances
of this in almoft every Page. It were to be
wifhed that the Boldnefs of our Age had ne-
ver carry'd their ludicrous Allufions to yet
more venerable Writings. We know that
Allufions to the Phrafes of holy Writ have
obtained to fome Gentlemen a Character of
Wit, and often furnifh'd Laughter to their
Hearers, when their Imaginations have been
too barren to give any other Entertainment.
But I appeal to the Religious themſelves, if
thefe Allufions are not apt to move Laughter,
unleſs a more ſtrong Affection of the Mind,
a religious Horror at the Profanity of ſuch
Allufions, prevents their allowing themſelves
the Liberty of laughing at them. Now in
this Affair I fanfy any one will acknowledge
that an Opinion of Superiority is not at all
the Occafion of the Laughter.
AGAIN, any little Accident to which we
have joined the Idea of Meanness, befalling
a Perfon of great Gravity, Ability, Dignity,
is a matter of Laughter, for the very fame
reafon; thus the ftrange Contortions of the
Body in a Fall, the dirtying of a decent Dreſs,
the natural Functions which we ſtudy to con-
ceal
92
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
ceal from fight, are matter of Laughter, when
they occur to Obſervation in Perfons of whom
we have high Ideas: nay, the very human
Form has the Ideas of Dignity fo generally
joined with it, that even in ordinary Perfons
fuch mean Accidents are matter of Jeft; but
ftill the Jeft is increaſed by the Dignity, Gra-
vity, or Modefty of the Perfon; which fhews
that it is this Contraft, or Oppofition of Ideas
of Dignity and Meannefs, which is the Oc-
cafion of Laughter.
WE generally imagine in Mankind fome
degree of Wisdom above other Animals, and
have high Ideas of them on this account. If
then along with our Notion of Wiſdom in our
Fellows, there occurs any Inftance of gross
Inadvertence, or great Miftake; this is a
great cauſe of Laughter. Our Countrymen
are very ſubject to little Trips of this kind,
and furniſh often fome Diverfion to their
Neighbours, not only by Miſtakes in their
Speech, but in Actions. Yet even this kind
of Laughter cannot well be faid to ariſe from
our Senfe of Superiority. This alone may
give a fedate Joy, but not be a matter of
Laughter; fince we ſhall find the fame kind
of Laughter arifing in us, where this Opinion
of Superiority does not attend it: For if the
moſt ingenious Perfon in the World, whom
the whole Company eſteems, fhould thro' in-
advertent hearing, or any other miſtake, an-
fwer quite from the Purpoſe, the whole Au-
dience may laugh heartily, without the leaft
shara
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 93
abatement of their good Opinion. Thus we
know fome very ingenious Men have not in
the leaſt ſuffer'd in their Characters by an ex-
temporary Pun, which raiſes the Laugh very
readily; whereas a premeditated Pun, which
diminiſhes our Opinion of a Writer, will fel-
dom raiſe any Laughter.
AGAIN, the more violent Paffions, as
Fear, Anger, Sorrow, Compaffion, are ge-
nerally look'd upon as fomething great and
folemn; the beholding of theſe Paſſions in a-
nother, ftrikes a Man with Gravity: Now if
theſe Paffions are artfully, or accidentally
raiſed upon a ſmall, or a fictitious Occafion,
they move the Laughter of thofe who ima-
gine the Occafions to be ſmall and contemp-
tible, or who are confcious of the Fraud:
this is the occafion of the Laugh in Biting,
as they call fuch Deceptions.
ACCORDING to this Scheme, there muſt
neceffarily ariſe a great Diverfity in Mens
Sentiments of the Ridiculous in Actions or
Characters, according as their Ideas of Dig-
nity and Wiſdom are various. A truly wife
Man who places the Dignity of human Na-
ture in good Affections and fuitable Actions,
may be apt to laugh at thoſe who employ
their moſt folemn and ftrong Affections about
what, to the wife Man, appears perhaps very
uſeleſs or mean. The fame Solemnity of Be-
haviour and Keenness of Paffion, about a
Place or Ceremony, which ordinary People
only employ about the abfolute Neceffaries
Τ
of
94 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
of Life, may make them laugh at their Bet
ters. When a Gentleman of Pleaſure, who
thinks that good Fellowship and Gallantry
are the only valuable Enjoyments of Life,
obferves Men with great Solemnity and Ear-
neftness, heaping up Money, without uſing
it, or incumbering themſelves with Purchaſes
and Mortgages, which the gay Gentleman
with his paternal Revenues, thinks very filly
Affairs, he may make himſelf very mer-
ry upon them: And the frugal Man, in his
turn, makes the fame Jeft of the Man of
Pleaſure. The fuccefsful Gamefter, whom
no Diſaſter forces to lay aſide the trifling Ideas
of an Amuſement in his Play, may laugh to
fee the ſerious Looks and Paffions of the gra-
veſt Buſineſs, arifing in the Lofer, amidſt the
Ideas of a Recreation. There is indeed in
theſe laſt Caſes an Opinion of Superiority in
the Laughter; but this is not the proper oc-
caſion of his Laughter; otherwiſe I fee not
how we should ever meet with a compofed
Countenance any where: Men have their
different Relishes of Life, moft People prefer
their own Taſte to that of others; but this
moves no Laughter, unleſs in reprefenting the
Purſuits of others, they do join together fome
whimſical Image of oppofite Ideas.
In the more polite Nations there are cer
tain Modes of Drefs, Behaviour, Ceremony,
generally received by all the better fort, as
they are commonly called: To theſe Modes,
Ideas of Decency, Grandeur, and Dignity
3†A
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 95
are generally joined; hence Men are fond of
imitating the Mode: And if any polite Af
fembly, a contrary Drefs, Behaviour, or Ce-
remony appear, to which we have joined in
our Country the contrary Ideas of Meannefs,
Rufticity, Sullennefs, a Laugh does ordi-
narily ariſe, or a difpofition to it, in thofe
who have not the thorow good Breeding, or
Reflection, to reftrain themſelves, or break
thro' theſe cuſtomary Affociations.
AND hence we may fee, that what is coun-
ted ridiculous in one Age or Nation, may not
be fo in another. We are apt to laugh at
Homer, when he compares Ajax unwillingly
retreating, to an Afs driven out of a Corn-
field; or when he compares him to a Boar:
Or Vlyffes toffing all Night without Sleep
thro' Anxiety, to a Pudding frying on the
Coals. Thofe three Similies, have got low
mean Ideas joined to them with us, which it
is very probable they had not in Greece
in Homer's days; nay, as to one of
them, the Boar, it is well known, that in
fome Countries of Europe, where they have
wild Boars for Hunting, even in our Times,
they have not thefe low fordid Ideas joined
to that Animal, which we have in thefe King-
doms, who never ſee them but in their dirty
Sties, or on Dunghills. This may teach us
how impertinent a great many Jefts are, which
are made upon the Style of fome other antient
Writings, in Ages when Manners were very
different from ours, tho perhaps fully as ra-
tional, and every way as human and iuft.
96 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
No 12•
Saturday, June 19, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Ridiculum acri
Fortius & melius magnas plerumque fecat res.
SIR,
T
O treat this Subject of Laughter
gravely, may fubject the Author
to a Cenfure, like to that which
Longinus makes upon a prior
Treatife of the Sublime, becauſe
wrote in a manner very unfuitable to the
Subject. But yet it may be worth our pains
to confider the Effects of Laughter, and the
Ends for which it was implanted in our Na-
ture, that thence we may know the proper
Uſe of it which may be done in the follow-
ing Obfervations.
Firft, WE may obferve, that Laughter,
like many other Difpofitions of our Mind,
is neceffarily pleaſant to us, when it begins
in the natural manner, from fome Perception
in the Mind of fomething ludicrous, and does
not take its rife unnaturally from external
Motions in the Body. Every one is confci-
ous
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 97
ous that a State of Laughter is an eaſy and
agreeable State, that the Recurring or Sug-
geftion of ludicrous Images tends to difpel
Fretfulness, Anxiety, or Sorrow, and to re-
duce the Mind to an easy, happy State; as
on the other hand, an eafy and happy State
is that in which we are moſt lively and acute
in perceiving the Ludicrous in Objects: Any
thing that gives us Pleaſure, purs us alſo in
a fitnefs for Laughter, when fomething ridi-
culous occurs; and ridiculous Objects occur-
ring to a four'd Temper, will be apt to re-
cover it to Eafinefs. The implanting then a
Senfe of the Ridiculous, in our Nature, was
giving us an Avenue to Pleaſure, and an eaſy
Remedy for Difcontent and Sorrow.
AGAIN, Laughter, like other Affections,
is very contagious; our whole Frame is fo
fociable, that one merry Countenance may
diffufe Chearfulneſs to many; nor are they
all Fools who are apt to laugh before they
know the Jeft, however curiofity in wife
Men may reſtrain it, that their Attention
may be kept awake.
WE are difpofed by Laughter to a good
Opinion of the Perfon who raiſes it, if nei-
ther our felves nor our Friends are made the
Butt. Laughter is none of the ſmalleſt
Bonds of common Friendſhips, tho it be of
lefs confequence in great Heroick Friendships.
If an Object, Action or Event be truly
great in every refpect, it will have no natu-
ral Relation or Reſemblance to any thing
Vol I
IT
98
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
mean or baſe; and confequently, no mean
Idea can be joined to it with any natural
Refemblance. If we make fome forced re-
mote Jeſts upon fuch Subjects, they can
never be pleafing to a Man of Senfe and
Reflection, but raife Contempt of the Ridi-
culer, as void of juſt Senſe of thoſe things
which are truly great. As to any great and
truly fublime Sentiments, we may perhaps
find that, by a playing upon Words, they
may be applied to a trifling or mean Action,
or Object; but this Application will not di-
miniſh our high Idea of the great Sentiment.
He muſt be of a poor trifling Temper who
would lofe his relifh of the Grandeur and
Beauty of that noble Sentence of Holy Writ,
mentioned in a former Paper, from the Doc-
tor's Application of it. Virgil Travefty may
often come into an ingenious Man's Head,
when he reads the Original, and make him
uneafy with impertinent Interruptions; but
will never diminish his Admiration of Vir-
gil. Who diflikes that Line in Homer, by
which Diogenes the Cynick anſwered a Neigh-
bour at an Execution, who was inquiring into
the Cauſe of the Criminal's Condemnation ?
(which had been the Counterfeiting of the
antient Purple)
Ελλαβε πορφύρεG θάνα]Θ και μοίρα κραταιή.
Let any of our Wits try their Mettle in ridi-
culing the Opinion of a good and wife Mind
governing the whole Univerſe; let them try
to
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 99
to ridicule Integrity and Honefty, Gratitude;
Generofity, or the Love of one's Country,
accompanied with Wisdom. All their Art
will never diminish the Admiration which we
muſt have for fuch Difpofitions, wherever
we obferve them pure and unmixed with any
low views, or any Folly in the Exerciſe of
them.
WHEN in any Object there is a Mixture
of what is truly great along with fomething
weak or mean, Ridicule may, with a weak
Mind which cannot feparate the great from
the mean, bring the whole into Diſeſteem, or
make the whole appear weak or contempti
ble: But with a Perſon of juſt Diſcernment and
Reflection it will have no other Effect, but to
ſeparate what is great from what is not fo.
WHEN any Object either good or evil is
aggravated and increaſed by the Violence of
our Paffions, or an Enthufiaftick Admiration,
or Fear, the Application of Ridicule is the
readieſt way to bring down our high Imagi-
nations to a Conformity to the real Moment
or Importance of the Affair. Ridicule gives
our Minds as it were a bend to the contrary
fide; fo that upon Reflection they may be
more capable of fettling in a juft Conformity
to Nature.
LAUGHTER is received in a different
manner by the Perfon ridiculed, according
as he who uſes the Ridicule evidences good
Nature, Friendship, and Eſteem of the Per-
fon whom he laughs at; or the contrary.
H
n
100 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
THE enormous Crime or grievous Cala-
mity of another, is not of it felf a Subject
which can be naturally turned into Ridicule :
The former raiſes Horror in us, and Hatred;
and the latter Pity. When Laughter arifes
on fuch occafions, it is not excited by the
Guilt or the Mifery, To obferve the Con-
torfions of the Human Body in the Air, upon
the blowing up of an Enemy's Ship, may
raife Laughter in thoſe who do not reflect
on the Agony and Diftrefs of the Sufferers;
but the reflecting on this Diftrefs could never
move Laughter of it felf. So fome fantaſtick
Circumſtances accompanying a Crime may
raiſe Laughter; but a piece of cruel Barba-
rity, or treacherous Villany, of it ſelf muſt
raiſe very contrary Paffions. A Jeſt is not
ordinary in an Impeachment of a Criminal,
or an Invective Oration: It rather diminiſhes
than increaſes the Abhorrence in the Audi-
ence, and may juftly raife Contempt of the
Orator for an unnatural Affectation of Wit.
Jefting is ftill more unnatural in Difcourfes
defign'd to move Compaffion
move Compaffion toward the
diftreffed. A forced unnatural Ridicule on
either of theſe occafions, muft be apt to
raiſe in the guilty or the miferable Hatred a-
gainſt the Laughter; fince it muſt be fuppo-
fed to flow from Hatred in him toward the
Object of his Ridicule, or from want of all
Compaffion. The guilty will take Laughter
to be a Triumph over him as contemptible;
the miſerable will interpret it as hardneſs of
Honet
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
101
Heart, and Infenfibility of the Calamities of
another. This is the natural Effect of join-
ing to either of theſe Objects, mean ludicrous
Ideas.
grave
IF fmaller Faults, fuch as are not incon-
fiftent with a Character in the main amiable,
be ſet in a ridiculous Light, the guilty are
apt to be made fenfible of their Folly, more
than by a bare Admonition. In many
of our faults, occafion'd by too great Vio-
lence of fome Paffion, we get fuch Enthuſi
aftick Apprehenfions of ſome Objects, as lead
us to juſtify our Conduct: The joining of
oppoſite Ideas or Images, allays this Enthu-
fiafm; and, if this be done with good Nature,
it may be the leaft offenfive, and moſt effec-
tual Reproof.
RIDICULE upon the ſmalleſt faults, when
it does not appear to flow from kindneſs, is
apt to be extremely provoking; fince the
applying of mean Ideas to our Conduct, dif-
covers Contempt of us in the Ridiculer, and
that he defigns to make us contemptible to
others.
RIDICULE applied to thofe Qualities or
Circumftances in one of our Companions,
which neither he nor the Ridiculer thinks dif
honourable, is agreeable to every one; the
Butt himſelf is as well pleas'd as any in Com-
pany.
RIDICULE upon any fmall Misfortune
or Injury, which we have received with for-
row or keen refentment, when it is applied
by a third Perſon, with appearance of good
•
102
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Nature, is exceeding uſeful to abate our Con-
cern or Resentment, and to reconcile us to
the Perfon who injured us, if he does not
perfift in his Injury.
FROM this Confideration of the Effects
of Laughter, it may be eaſy to fee for what
Caufe, or End, a Senfe of the ridiculous was
implanted in Human Nature, and how it
ought to be managed.
IT is plainly of confiderable Moment in
Human Society. It is often a great occa-
fion of Pleasure, and enlivens our Conver-
fation exceedingly, when it is conducted by
good Nature. It fpreads a pleaſantry of Tem-
per over Multitudes at once; and one merry
eafy Mind may by this means diffuſe a like
Difpofition over all who are in Company.
There is nothing of which we are more com-
municative than of a good Fest: And many
a Man who is incapable of obliging us other-
wife, can oblige us by his Mirth, and really
infinuate himſelf into our kind Affections,
and good Wiſhes.
But this is not all the Ufe of Laughter.
It is well known, that our Paffions of every
kind lead us into wild Enthufiaftick Appre-
henfions of their ſeveral Objects. When any
Object ſeems great in compariſon, of our
felves, our Minds are apt to run into a per-
fec Veneration: When an Object appears
formidable, a weak Mind will run into a
Panick, an unreaſonable, impotent Horror,
Now in both theſe Cafes, by our Sense of
the
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 103
the ridiculous, we are made capable of Re-
lief from any pleaſant, ingenious Well-wisher,
by more effectual Means, than the moſt fo-
lemn, fedate reaſoning. Nothing is ſo proper-
ly applied to the falfe Grandeur, either of
Good or Evil, as Ridicule: Nothing will
fooner prevent our exceffive Admiration of
mix'd Grandeur, or hinder our being led by
that, which is, perhaps, really great in fuch
an Object, to imitate alfo and approve what
is really mean.
I QUESTION not but the Jeft of Elijah
upon the falfe Deity, whom his Countrymen
had fet up, has been very effectual to rectify
their Notions of the Divine Nature; as we
find that like Jefts have been very ſeaſonable
in other Nations. Baal, no doubt, had been
repreſented as a great Perfonage of uncon-
querable Power: But how ridiculous does
the Image appear, when the Prophet ſets be-
fore them, at once, the poor Ideas which
muſt ariſe from fuch a limitation of Nature
as could be reprefented by their Statues, and
the high Ideas of Omniscience, and Omnipo-
tence, with which the People declared them-
felves poffeffed by their Invocation. Cry
aloud, either he is talking, or pursuing, or
he is on a Journey, or he is asleep.
THIS Engine of Ridicule, no doubt, may
be abuſed, and have a bad Effect upon a
weak Mind; but with Men of any Reflec-
tion, there is little fear that it will ever be
very pernicious. An Attempt of Ridicule
HA
before
104 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
before fuch Men, upon a Subject every way
great, is fure to return upon the Author of
it. One might dare the boldeſt Wit in Com-
pany with Men of Senfe, to make a Jeft up-
on a compleatly great Action, or Character.
Let him try the Story of Scipio and his Fair
Captive, upon the taking of Cartagena; or
the old Story of Pylades and Oreftes; I
fanfy he would fooner appear in a Fool's Coat
himſelf, than he could put either of theſe
Characters in fuch a Drefs. The only danger
is in Objects of a mixed Nature before Peo-
ple of little Judgment, who by Jefts upon
the weak fide, are fometimes led into Neg-
lect, or Contempt, of that which is truly
valuable in any Character, Inftitution, or
Office. And this may fhew us the Imper-
tinence, and pernicious Tendency of general
undiſtinguiſhed Jefts upon any Character, or
Office, which has been too much over-rated.
But, that Ridicule may be abufed, does not
prove it uſeleſs, or unneceffary, more than
a like poffibility of Abufe would prove all
our Senfes, and Paffions, impertinent, or
hurtful. Ridicule, like other edged Tools, may
do good in a wife Man's hands, tho Fools
may cut their Fingers with it, or be injurious
to an unwary By-ſtander.
THE Rules to avoid Abuſe of this kind
of Ridicule, are, Firft, Either never to at-
tempt Ridicule upon what is every way great,
whether it be any great Being, Character,
or Sentiments: Or, if our Wit muſt fome-
times
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 105
times run into Allufions, on low occafions,
to the Expreffions of great Sentiments, Let
it not be in weak Company, who have not a
just difcernment of true Grandeur. And,
Secondly, Concerning Objects of a mixed
Nature, partly great, and partly mean, Let
us never turn the meanness into Ridicule,
without acknowledging what is truly great,
and paying a juft Veneration to it. In this
fort of jefting we ought to be cautious of our
Company.
Difcit enim citius, meminitque libentius illud,
Quod quis deridet, quam quod probat & veneratur.
Hor.
ANOTHER Valuable Purpoſe of Ridicule
is with relation to fmaller Vices, which are
often more effectually corrected by Ridicule,
than by grave Admonition. Men have been
laughed out of Faults which a Sermon could
not reform; nay, there are many little Inde-
cencies which are improper to be mentioned
in fuch folemn Difcourfes. Now Ridicule
with Contempt.or Ill-Nature, is indeed always
irritating and offenfive; but we may, by
teſtifying a juſt Efteem for the good Qualities
of the Perfon ridiculed, and our Concern for
his Intereſts, let him fee that our Ridicule of
his Weakneſs flows from Love to him, and
then we may hope for a good Effect. This
then is another neceffary Rule, That along
with our ridicule of ſmaller faults we ſhould
always join Evidences of good Nature and
Efteem.
As
106
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
As to Jefts upon Imperfections, which
one cannot amend, I cannot fee of what uſe
they can be: Men of Senfe cannot reliſh ſuch
Jefts; fooliſh trifling Minds may by them
be led to defpife the trueft Merit, which is
not exempted from the cafual Misfortunes of
our Mortal State. If thefe Imperfections oc-
cur along with a vitious Character, againſt
which People fhould be alarmed and cauti-
oned, it is below a wife Man to raiſe Aver
fions to bad Men from their neceffary Infir-
mities, when they have a jufter handle from
their vitious Difpofitions.
I SHALL Conclude this Effay with the
words of Father Malebranche, upon the laft
Subject of Laughter, the fmaller Misfortunes
of others. That Author amidſt all his Viſions
thews fometimes as fine Senfe as any of his
Neighbours. Book IV. Ch. XIII.
<
•
·
dies.
THERE is nothing more admirably
contrived than thoſe natural Correſponden-
ces obfervable between the Inclinations of
• Mens Minds and the Motions of their Bo-
All this fecret Chain-Work is a
Miracle, which can never fufficiently be
admired or understood. Upon Senfe of
fome furprizing Evil, which appears too
ftrong for one to overcome with his own
ftrength, he raiſes, fuppofe, a loud Cry: This
Cry forced out by the Difpofition of our
Machine, pierces the Ears of thoſe who are
near, and makes them underftand it, let
them be of what Nation or Quality foever:
€
•
،
• For
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
107
"
<
<
،
'
For it is the Cry of all Nations, and all
Conditions, as indeed it ought to be. It
raiſes a Commotion in their Brain,- and
makes them run to give Succour without
ſo much as knowing it. It foon obliges
their Will to defire, and their Underftand-
ing to contrive, provided that it was juſt
and according to the Rules of Society. For
an indiſcreet Outcry made upon no occa-
fion, or out of an idle Fear, produces, in
the Affiftants, Indignation or Laughter
inſtead of Pity.- That indiſcreet Cry
naturally produces Averfion, and defire of
revenging the Affront offered to Nature,
if he that made it without cauſe, did it wil-
fully But it ought only to produce the
Paffion of Derifion, mingled with fome
Compaffion, without Averfion or defire of
Revenge, if it were a Fright, that is a
falfe Appearance of a preffing Exigency,
which caufed the Clamour. For Scoff or
Ridicule is neceſſary to re-affure and cor-
rect the Man as fearful; and Compaffion
• to fuccour him as weak. 'Tis impoffible
'to conceive any thing better ordered.'
<
<
،
:
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
PHILOMEIDES.
No 13.
108 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
MIHOS
N° 13⋅
Saturday, June 26, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Hoc eft
Vivere bis.
MARTIAL.
SIR,
M
Y Readers will remember, that
in a former Paper, I endeavoured
to fhew, that Nature having im-
planted in us a Principle of Bene-
volence, the Purfuits of it muſt
neceffarily be attended with great and real
Pleaſure. For our Creator, who has made
nothing in vain, has given us no Defires
without making ample Provifion for the
Gratification of them. I now proceed to
illuftrate farther this Subject, by giving Inſtan-
ces of fome of thofe Joyful Effects, which
Benevolence has upon thofe generous Minds
that are animated by it.
Bur before I go any farther, it may not
be unneceſſary to obviate an Objection, which
fome Gentlemen have drawn from the Love
of Praiſe, ſo natural to all Mankind, againſt
the Sincerity of our Benevolence, and con-
fequently
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 109
fequently the reality of any Happiness de-
rived thro' that Channel. Noble and virtuous
Actions, ſay they, beget the Efteem and Ap-
plaufe, not only of fuch as immediately reap
the Benefit of them, but even of the uncon-
cerned and diftant Spectators. This creates
great Triumph of Heart, and makes the Mind
enamour'd of its own Perfections and Supe-
riority. So that in our best Actions, inſtead
of honeftly intending the good of others, or
taking any real Plefore in it, we only are
facrificing to Self-Love, and ſcatter our Fa-
vours with a more liberal Hand, becauſe we
are fure of a plentiful Harvest of Reputation
in return. This would be all true, if the
firſt Motive to the doing of good were the
Praiſe that accompanies it; but when we do
good to a Man, becauſe we love his Perfon, I
believe no one will affirm, that we have any
fuch expectation in reverfion, however plea-
fing it may prove to us afterwards, to receive
decent Expreffions of Gratitude. Befides,
fince to place our Efteem on a worthy Object
is equally pleasant as to be our felves in the
Efteem of others, the Love of fuch Efteem,
inſtead of arguing our Affections to be alto-
gether of the ſelfiſh kind, feems no con-
temptible Proof of the contrary; in regard,
even the Picture of our own Minds never
yields us fuch full Delight, as when we find,
or imagine, it promotes the Pleaſure of the
World about us.
BUT
110 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
But whether Benevolence be only an Ef
fect of Self-Love, or a diftinct Principle
from it, it is certain, that the conftant Exer-
cife of it is a Source of continual and unſpeak-
able Joy; and that wherever the Vigor of
it has been impaired thro' the Violence of con-
trary Paffions, a Man has but a very uneafy
and melancholy time of it. We find no Plea-
fure in a Place, whenever we begin to dif
reliſh the Company in it; ſo that Life muſt be
a Burden to him that loves not Society.
And we know very well, that what endears
any Place to us, fuch as that of our Birth,
Education, or long Refidence, is not fo much
the Memory of the Place it felf, as thoſe
Ideas of focial Pleafure that crowd in along
with it, and at laft become infeparable from
it. Thus the Inanimate Beauties of Nature
receive additional Charms from the good Af-
fections of thoſe who behold them; and our
Enjoyment of them is heighten'd by our be-
ing focial as well as curious Beings.
WHERE is there any other Enjoyment
in Life, that has not its feafoning from the
fame Principle, and does not lofe its moft
delicious relifh, whenever it is made a Mono-
poly? What is it draws Men into Luxury and
High-living, but only to enjoy the Company
of their Friends, agreeable to the old homely
English Phrafe, which calls that fort of Life
Good-fellowship? The fame might alſo be
fhewn of all the other Entertainments of
Senfe, and much more in thoſe that gratify
our
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 111
our internal and fuperior Faculties. We do
but deceive our felves, when we imagine that
in our Purſuits after Pleafure we are driving
on a Game exclufive of the reft of Mankind,
and that our higheſt Delight confiſts in ap-
propriating the Prey. The Pleafures of
Friendship are at the bottom of far the great-
er part of our Defigns, and often influence
us in a manner unperceived by our felves.
For in them it is, that we find the trueft and
moſt ſubſtantial Felicity, where the Inter-
courfe of Kindness, and Participation of
Sentiments give a perpetual increaſe and ad-
dition of Pleafure. Minds thus united are
like obverted Mirrors, endlefly reflecting,
and reflected in each other; and by that means
renew the Images of their common Joys fo oft,
that they become infinite, and multiply their
pleafing Forms the more, as we contemplate
them the longer; contrary to the Nature of
all fenfual Pleaſures, which give but a ſingle
Tranfport, and immediately vanish. Thus
the Pleasure of loving any one amiable Qua-
lity in another, is of longer continuance than
all the Gratifications of Senfe put together.
Theſe are Bubbles that break as foon as they
are formed, and owe all their Beauty to bor-
rowed Colours; the other is durable as the
Diamond, and appears beft, when viewed by
its own native Light.
To this we may add, that as the fureſt
Method to diſtinguiſh real from imaginary
Goods, is to try whether they produce the
112 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
fame Delight in Fruition, which they pro-
mis'd in Expectation; fo in this refpect the
Pleaſures of Society have the Advantage of
all others. For whereas other Pleafures are
Strong in the Imagination, and feeble in the
Senfe; theſe, on the contrary, where they
take their rife from an honeft and fincere
Affection, have a Degree of Strength and
Liveliness in the Senfe, which the Imagi-
nation is utterly incapable of reaching. This
is evident in Poetry, where we meet frequent-
ly with very exact and furprizing Deſcriptions
of things which ftrike the external Senfes,
while it is the moft difficult thing in the Art,
and what very few have fucceeded in, to-
paint the charming Emotions of Love and
Friendship right: The Reafon for which can
be no other than this, that in the former
Cafe we are able to draw fairer than the Life,
but in the latter, always come fhort of it.
The Strokes are indeed too fine and delicate
to be expreſs'd any otherwife than by the
Hand of Nature her felf, on the living Tablet
of the Heart.
Now if common Friendſhip, which is only
partial Benevolence, be capable of producing
fo much Pleaſure and fo many amiable Ef
fects, how much larger a Field of Joy muft
they have, whofe Affections take in a greater
Compaſs, and are comprehenfive of Multi-
tudes? If loving only one, or a few Friends,
yields fuch a refined and eaſy Delight, what
an inexhauſtible Fund of Satisfaction mult
they
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
113
they have, that are carried away with the
Love of their Country, or a generous Concern
for the Welfare of Mankind; who are fharers
in all that belongs to the whole human Race,
and extend their Proſpects thro' the Womb of
Futurity to Generations unborn? A Difpo-
fition to Goodness, even when confined with-
in a very narrow Circle, is attended with the
ſofteſt and moſt charming Senfations that can
poffibly enter into the Heart of Man. And
furely the more extenfive that Principle is
in us, we muſt receive the more of thoſe a-
greeable Senfations. To be thus difpofed is
to reſemble the great and bountiful Author of
Nature, and to partake of that Happiness
which is Infinite and Divine. The confine-
ment of Affection is certainly a Defect, and
of courſe can be attended with no Joys but
what are little and confined, in compariſon of
thoſe felt by great and generous Souls; fuch
as have either faved a finking State from Ty-
ranny and Deſtruction; brought a vitious and
barbarous People under the reſtraint of good
Law's, and a regular Government; reformed
a blind and fuperftitious Age, and recovered
Men from a Spirit of Madness, Cruelty, and
Bigotry; or who have benefited Mankind,
and made Life more eafy and comfortable,
by the Invention of noble and uſeful Arts.
Souls of this make, as they fhew the higheſt
Perfection of human Virtue, fo they cannot
but enjoy a proportionable Degree of Hap-
piness in the exerciſe of it, and anticipate in
Vol. I.
this
114 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
this Life the Joys of another, not fubject to
thoſe Viciffitudes and Diſappointments which
are to be met with below.
Hic Manus, ob patriam pugnando vulnera paſſi,
Quique Sacerdotes cafti, dum vita manebat:
Quique pii Vates, aut Phabo digna locuti:
Inventas aut qui vitam excoluere per artes:
Quique fui memores alios fecere merendo :
Omnibus his nivea cinguntur Tempora Vitta. Vir.
'Tis true, no Man ever was, or will be
able to exert his Good-will to that degree,
that the whole Univerfe fhall feel the imme-
diate Effects of it; and but very few have it
in their power to promote the Intereſt either
of a large Society, or of any confiderable
number of their Fellow-creatures, in fo ex-
tenſive a manner as a generous Mind would
defire. Yet ftill there is none among us but
what is capable of having a remote Influence
on the univerfal Good. Every one has a cer-
tain circle of Acquaintance, which, without
a Pun, may be called the Sphere of his Acti-
vity; wherein he has room to employ all his
focial Affection, and by putting one fmall
part in Motion, propagate in fome meaſure
the happy Impulſe thro' the whole System.
Philofophers tell us, that the leaft Degree of
Motion in the material World communicates
it felf far and wide thro' the Dominions of
Nature; and certainly the moral World is
not lefs fufceptible of Action than the natural.
When we can do no more, the Example of an
inoffenfive Life is an Act of Benevolence to
Monkind.
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 115
F
Mankind, as it may influence others, of
greater Abilities, to fubdue their felfiſh Ap-
petites, the natural Confequence of which
will be fetting them on Pursuits of a more
generous kind; fince it is only exceſſive In-
dulgence of the former, that hinders Mens re-
gularly and chiefly applying themſelves to the
latter. But tho this were not fo, the Plea-
fures of Benevolence would nevertheleſs ſtill
remain in Vigor. For it is of the Effence of
that godlike Principle to rejoice in the Hap-
piness of others, not as the Effect of our own
Power, that being the Language of Pride
and Self-Intereft, but as a thing intrinsically
good, let whoever be the Caufes or In-
ftruments of it. And a virtuous Mind can
never want Occafions of thus rejoicing, while
we have a merciful Creator over us, who is
daily conveying his Favours, and flowering
down Bleffings on all the Children of Men.
THUS is focial Virtue not only the Cauſe
of future Advantages and Pleafures, but in
the very Exerciſe of it a Spring of preſent
Peace, Joy and Satisfaction.
1
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
N° 14°
I 2
116 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Saturday, July 3, 1725.
N° 14.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
modum
Que res in fe neque confilium neque
Quæ
Habet ullum, eam confilio regere non potes.
SIR,
T
TER.
HERE are a great many Things
in Human Nature, and which we
meet with innumerable Inftances
of in the ordinary Occurrences
of Life, which it is almoft impof-
fible to reduce to a Syftem, or account for by
thofe Principles, which either ought, or uſually
do govern Mankind in their Purfuits. We
all know, or at leaſt 'tis only want of a little
Reflection that hinders us from doing ſo, what
are the trueſt Advantages of Life, and the real
Bleffings it affords. We are alfo well enough
acquainted with our own Hearts, to know
what Objects pleaſe us moft; or, which is
the fame thing in other words, wherein we
place our greateſt Happineſs. Nor are Men
commonly fo wanting in Sagacity, as not to
be able to difcern, unleſs in fome nice and
Der-
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 117
perplexed Cafes, the likelieſt and moſt proba-
ble Means of compaffing the Ends they pro-
poſe. Yet, notwithſtanding all this, there
are frequent Appearances in our Conduct, that
contradict, not only all cool Notions of Rea-
fon and Intereſt, but even the known Difpo-
fition, and governing Inclinations of the Per-
fons in whom they break out.
How oft have we feen Men of excellent
Senfe and Reflection, and of great Benignity
of Mind, and Nobleneſs of Temper, at iome
times turn intolerably peevish, and give a
looſe to very indecent and unreaſonable Paf-
fions? Perfons very liberal and generous,
have upon ſome Occafions fhewn themſelves
exceedingly narrow and cloſe-fifted; as, on
the other hand, fome, whofe known Cha-
racter was Avarice, have been found to fquan-
der away in an Inftant, what they had ſtarved
themſelves for whole Years to amafs. Many
noble Spirits, who have had a juft Contempt
of the World, and clear Views of the Vanity
of thoſe things the bulk of Mankind ſet their
Hearts upon, have yet frequently dwindled
from their Character, and appeared as whim-
fical in fome Inftances, as the unthinking
Crowd, that place their whole Happineſs in
the Goods of Fortune, and the imaginary
Enjoyment of fuperfluous Poffeffions, or the
yet more airy Satisfactions of Pomp and
Pageantry.
THE Roman Story has given us a remark-
able Inſtance of what I am now faying, in
tha
118 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
the Perſon of Valerius Poplicola. That
great Man, who was chofen Conful quickly
after the Expulfion of Tarquin, and the Diffo-
lution of the Monarchy, had built himſelf
a ſtately Houſe on an Eminence, very confpi-
cuous, becauſe hanging over the moſt publick
Place in the City, the Seat of their Courts of
Juſtice, and ufual refort of the Common-
wealth. The Magnificence of the Fabrick,
and the Grandeur of the Situation gave a
Jealouſy to a haughty People, who fo lately
had recovered their Liberty, that a private
Citizen could have no other ufe for fuch an
Habitation, than to be the Seat of a future
Tyranny. Valerius was no fooner acquainted
with this Murmur running among the People,
than he called an Affembly, affured them of
his Zeal for the publick Liberty, and promiſed
them, that the Houſe he had built, fhould
be no Obſtacle to their eafy and fecure En-
joyment of that Freedom they had fo gloriouf-
ly purchaſed. The next Morning preſented
them the Effects of their Conful's Promife.
The Houſe was found demoliſh'd, and the
very Hill, upon which it ſtood, levelled, by
his Order. The People were filled at once
with Admiration and Regret; and no Praiſes
were thought fufficient for a Man who had
fhewn, by fo generous a Sacrifice, how much
he preferred the Tranquillity of his Country
to his own Satisfaction, or the Splendor of
his Family.
ONE
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 119
ONE would be very apt to believe, that
a Soul of this brave and happy Temper, that
had fhewn fo much Maſtery over it ſelf, fhould
have been Proof in every other Inftance to
the Charms of empty Shew, and vain Oſten-
tation. Yet how little of this appears in the
fame Man's Conduct on another Occafion?
The Capitol, lately finished, is to be dedi-
cated. The Performance of this great Solem-
nity is to be by one of the Confuls. Horatius,
who is Valerius's Collegue in that Office, e-
qually ambitious as himſelf of the Honour,
refers it to the Lot, which of them fhall ob-
tain it. The Gods declare againſt Valerius.
He is obliged to take the Command of the
Army upon him, and march out againſt the
Enemies of his Country. The Honour of an
Employment, which a wife and good Man
would in his cool thoughts prefer to any
other in the World, is no Relief from the
Vexation he feels at the gaudy Appearance of
his Rival on a Holiday. While Glory, Vic-
tory, and the Safety of the Commonwealth
depend on his Motions, he is only taken up.
with contriving Methods of diſappointing his
Competitor's imaginary Felicity. To do this,
he diſpatches a Meffenger, on the Day of the
Dedication of the Capitol, to carry Horatius
the falfe News of his Son being dead in the
Camp. The fatal Meffage is delivered, juſt
as Horatius is beginning the Ceremony.
His Courage, however, will not fuffer him
to defift from performing the Solemnities;
I 4
and
་
120
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
and the Meſſenger is coolly difmiffed with a
Charge, that the Deceafed fhould be honour-
ably buried. Thus two great Men make
themſelves memorable Examples of the Force
which Humour and Caprice may have upon
the Human Mind. For let us fuppofe Popli-
cola acted either by Reaſon, Intereft, or Am-
bition, it was certainly inconfiftent with any
of them, to prefer a Fool's Bauble to a Sta-
tion which put him at the Head of his Coun
try, both in refpect of Power and Dignity;
and afforded him the Means of doing great
Good, and confequently of procuring fub-
ftantial Honour. And on the other hand,
what a Delufion muſt it have been that could
make fuch a Man as Hiſtory reprefents Hora-
tius to us, become ſo enchanted with a Farce,
as to fupprefs the Motions of Humanity, when
himſelf had loft a Son, and his Country a
Patriot?
EQUALLY difficult to be accounted for
are a great many Occurrences we every day
behold in common Life. There is a Freakifh-
neſs which makes Men very often fall into
Extravagancies they deteft, in the fame in-
ftant they commit them. We fee fometimes
that what we are going to do is a weak and
fooliſh thing, and yet we perfift in a Refo-
lution we are fure will be attended with Pain
and Repentance. Lovers are never more apt
to fquabble with one another than in the
moſt violent Tranfports of Affection; and
many a tender Friendſhip has been diffolved
with
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
121
with the mutual Regret of both Parties, who
deliberately withſtood their own Happineſs.
I believe, more than one half of the Quarrels
and Diſorders which have happened among
Mankind, have been owing to Caufes very
foreign, either to the Intereft or Inclinations
of the Parties embroiled with each other,
and have proceeded from Motives undiſcerned
by the Perfons themſelves;. the main Springs
of our Actions being very frequently, like
thofe of a Machine, hard to be diſcovered,
becauſe hid far within the Work.
SOMETIMES it is Pride and Obſtinacy
which makes us thus inconfiftent with Rea-
fon and Ourſelves. We have taken up a
Refolution rafhly, and then think it below us
to retract it. At other times we entertain
groundleſs Sufpicions of our Friends, and
thoſe we converfe with, and by that means
are led into a thouſand Mifinterpretations of
all their Words and Actions; and fometimes
are fo wonderfully quick of Apprehenfion,
as to draw Miſchief from their very Looks.
During the continuance of fuch Impreffions,
it is hardly poffible but our Conduct muſt be
very irregular and unfteady. Ill Company
and Example is another Source both of whim-
fical Behaviour, and vitious or foolish Elec-
tions. Our virtuous Affections themſelves,
when not brought under a due Regulation and
Balance, may betray us into Actions the moſt
contradictory to Virtue and good Senfe.
Miſtaken Notions of the World will be apt
to
122
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
}
to lead us into unreaſonable Expectations;
and the confequent Difappointment four our
Temper, and alter the whole Frame of our
Minds. And to compleat our Misfortune,
Bigotry and Superſtition, a rainy Day, or an
Eafterly Wind, have fometimes Influence e-
nough upon us to thwart our moſt rational
and beſt-concerted Deſigns, and make us deny
our felves our deareſt and nobleft Enjoyments.
MEN fubject to theſe Infirmities, as we
all are in fome degree or other, ought to be
very mild, and make great allowances for
the failings of their Neighbours; and not
form their Notions of a Man's whole Cha-
racter from ſome little Slips in his Behaviour.
A Man's being now and then peeviſh, is no
juſt Reaſon for branding him with Ill-nature.
Job was a Miracle of Patience, at the fame
time that the Severity of his Affliction pro-
voked him to curfe the Day of his Birth.
And the Inſtance I have given of Poplicola,
is no Proof of his being a Man eafily puffed
up with Vain-glory and falſe Grandeur, who,
in the whole Courfe of his Life, had eviden-
ced fo much true Greatnefs and Moderation
of Mind. We do not reckon Men valiant,
who are inflamed with Brandy, or elevated
with the Sound of a Trumpet; nor call that
Generofity, which is the Effect of fome fud-
den Impulſe of Vanity. And for the fame
Reaſon, we ought not to put an ill Conftruc-
tion upon thofe Efcapes. in Behaviour and
Manners which are the Effects of external
I
Cauſes,
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 123
Cauſes, and do not flow from Principle, and
a fettled Waywardness of Difpofition.
NEXT to downright quarrelling with Men
on the ſcore of fuch little Humours and Blind-
fides, the fooliſheſt thing in the World is to
endeavour to argue them out of them. We
may as well attempt to ftop the Current of
a River, as charm a Man out of a freakiſh or
a fullen Fit. The Diſeaſe lies in the Imagi-
nation; fo that we apply in the wrong
place, when we tamper with a Man's Reafon
for the Cure. We muſt give the Humour
leave to fubfide of it felf, before we feek out
for a Remedy; and then, the beſt I know
is the Ridicule, under the juſt and neceſſary
Reſtriction laid down by my Friend Philo-
meides, That along with our Ridicule of
Smaller Faults, we should always join Evi-
dences of Good-nature and Efteem.
→
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
N°
15.
124 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
N° 15.
Saturday, July 10, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Tenet infanabile multos
Scribendi cacoethes, & agro in corde fenefcit :
Sed vatem egregium, cui non fit publica vena,
Qui nihil expofitum foleat deducere, nec qui
Communi feriat carmen triviale moneta;
Hunc, qualem neque monftrare, & fentio
Juv.
tantum.
SIR,
A
MONG the many Abuſes we daily
meet with in the Streets of this,
and every other great City, there
is none that cries more loudly for
a Reformation than the known
Practice of finging Ballads, at leaſt in the
manner wherein it is now regulated by the
Managers of this Part of our publick Diver-
fions.
I Do not hereby fo much reflect on the
ragged Appearance, the fufpicious Looks,
and the miferable Voices of our circumfora-
neous Muſicians, however wretched a Con-
currence of Circumftances we find even in
that
HIBERNICU s's Letters.
125
that View, as on the Subject-matter of thoſe
Poetical Admonitions, which are by this
means conveyed to the Ears of his Majeſty's
Liege Subjects, the Mob. Having a very
great regard for that numerous and venerable
Body, eſpecially that Part of it whoſe Mis-
fortunes compel them to go bare-headed, and
walk a-foot, I could wiſh it lay in my power
to redreſs a Grievance which bears fo hard on
their Intereſt. For befides the groſs Injury
done them by inveigling the folitary Farthings
out of their Pockets in this manner, it is but
too evident that the Garrets of Great Bri-
tain and Ireland are at preſent inhabited by a
Set of People who have not the Good of the
Rabble fincerely at heart, nor take any kind
of pains to make their trivial Performances
of uſe to thoſe for whom they are intended.
Bur to be ſerious, however ridiculous it
may appear to be fo upon a Subject fo feem-
ingly little and infignificant, I am truly of
opinion, that a great part of the Debauchery
which has of late years defcended from the
polite Rakes of the Town to the lower Rank
of People, is not only owing to the Imitation
of the faſhionable Vices of their Betters, but
to the Care taken by our Grubſtreet Verſi-
ficators to humour them in it, and harden
them in their Contempt of Innocence and
Simplicity. There have been great Com-
plaints made, and very juftly too, of the
mischievous Confequences produced by the
Looſeneſs of many of thofe Compofitions
which
126 HIBERNICUS's Lettėrs.
which have been written by Authors of good
Note, and for the Entertainment of the fa-
fhionable World. But few have taken notice,
how much the fame Spirit has prevailed among
the Generation of Scribblers, who can pre-
tend to no higher Capacity than that of ma-
king a Brace of Syllables jingle; who, as
they write to a Body of People both more nu-
merous, and lefs able to refift the Impreffions
endeavoured to be put upon them, have, by
that means, done equal miſchief with thoſe
of a fuperior Rank, and greater Abilities.
IN the early and uncorrupted Ages of the
World, Poetry was a facred Thing. Par-
naffus was all holy Ground. The Muſes were
devoted to the Service of the Divinity. The
Creation of the World, the Glory of the firft
Being, the Bounty of Providence, and the
Beauty of Nature, were the firſt Subjects that
brought Speech into Tune and Meaſure. The
moft part of antient Prophecies, whether
Jewish or Heathen, were dictated in the fame
Language. And one of the moſt rational
Pieces of Homage Man can pay his Creator,
was reckon❜d by thoſe happy and innocent
Mortals among their higheſt and moſt delight-
ful Enjoyments.
IN After-times, when Men, puff'd up with
Power and Pride, began to lord it over their
Fellow-creatures, and were feized with the
Frenzy of thinking they were fomething more
than Human, many of them thought fit to
arrogate to themſelves thofe Honours which
had
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
127
had been formerly appropriated to the Divi-
nity. Among thefe it is no wonder, that
Poetry, which has always had fuch an uni-
verfal Influence on Mankind, ſhould be one
of the firſt. So, from henceforward, the
Actions of their Heroes, either in Love or
War, were made the chief Subjects of their
Poetical Compofitions.
-
WHATEVER ill Effects this might for
fome time be attended with, in making Ty-
rants and Parricides the Admiration of thoſe
they had enflaved, it is certain, it had at laſt
fome good Confequences with refpect to Mens
Manners and Paffions. The Recital of great
Actions, eſpecially when fet out with the Or-
naments of Verfe, naturally raiſes noble
Thoughts, and generous Refolutions. And
nothing contributes more to the fubduing a
fierce and untractable Difpofition, than to ſee
the Paffion of Love deſcribed thro' all its ten-
der Movements, and amiable Diftreffes.
Be-
nevolence, and Fortitude, are the two great
Powers of human Virtue; the one being as
neceſſary for Ballaſt to it, as the other is for
Sail. So that nothing could be better de-
figned for the benefit of Mankind, than to
turn the Stream of Poetry into a Channel,
where it might ſo eaſily fet the Springs of vir-
tuous Action a going. For tho Campaign
Courage be but a fmall part of Fortitude,
and the Paffion of Love a very diſtinct thing
from Benevolence, yet I think it muſt be
granted, there is ſuch a Connection between
them,
128 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
them, that opening the Soul to any one of
them is a fair Step towards introducing the
other.
;
AMONG the Greeks and Romans, this
was certainly the chief Uſe their Poetry was
apply'd to for many Ages. The rude Poetry
of our Anceſtors was alfo of the fame kind.
Every great Action was celebrated in Verſe
and there are yet extant large Chronicles in
Metre, comprehending the Hiftory of many
Ages. The Rhymes, and Language, are in-
deed very barbarous; yet there often-times
ſhines thro' that Barbarity, a great Nobleneſs
of Thought, joined with Sentiments very
pure and virtuous. Their leffer Pieces too,
fuch as are our Ballads, retained the fame
Simplicity, and regard to Decency and good
Manners. The Hero was always roufed up
to Action by the Love of his Country; and
the Lover diſcovers nothing unbecoming an
honeft and generous Paffion. The Monks
were the firſt Corrupters both of Taſte and
Manners. Their Champions are all Furiofos,
obliged, by the Rules of their Knighthood,
not to wait for Adventures, but feek for
them; which cannot be ſo properly faid,to fall
in Love, as to leap into it: Saintly Murder-
ers! who were fworn to propagate Superſti-
tion, and Cruelty thro' the World, and knock
down every Mifcreant Painim, that fhould
diſpute an Article of their Creed, or a Feature
of their Miſtreſs's Beauty. Nor has their Love
any thing of that Paffion, fave the Name.
For
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 129
For it is all either fenfeleſs Rant, and Hyper-
bole; or elfe, when the Hero was on a mer-
Pin, fomething very ſhocking and brutal.
ry
THE Revival of Letters, as it put an end
to the whole Scheme of Monkish Chivalry,
ſo it introduced a more natural and fober way
of writing among Authors of all forts. And
one great Part of the Entertainment of the
common People in all Ages, being Songs and
Ballads, feveral Authors at that time feem to
have made it their Buſineſs to improve this
prevailing Inclination to the Service of Vir-
tue, and good Senfe. Who the Men were,
themſelves have not thought fit to let Pofte-
rity know; but that they have been Men of
Worth and Genius too, is evident from very
many
of thofe Half-ſheet Performances, which
ſerve for Furniture to the Walls of Country
Ale-houſes, and fuch like Places. Theſe are
for the moſt part little Heroick Poems, cele-
brating fome worthy Action perform'd ei-
ther in the cauſe of the Publick, or the de-
fence of diſtreſs'd Virtue. Several of them
have gained the Admiration of the firſt Wri-
ters in our Language. And one of them has
been thought worthy to be commented upon
by one of the fineſt Genius's this or any other
Age has produced. I fuppofe my Readers do
not want to be inform'd, that I mean, the
old Song of Chevy-Chafe. I have alſo ſeen
large Fragments of a Ballad called Hardiknute,
wherein there is a Life, and a Nobleneſs both
of Deſign and Expreffion, that might have
Vol. I.
become
K
i30 HIBERNICUS's Letters:
become the Auguftan Age. It is faid to have
been recover'd a few Years fince from the
Mouth of an old Woman in Scotland. And
it is highly probable, a great many other va-
luable Pieces of the fame kind might have
been tranfmitted down to us, had it not been
for an unaccountable Humour which prevailed
in that Nation about twenty or thirty Years
ago, of extirpating their old Women, and
burning them for Witches.
Bur if we look into the Love-Songs of
that Time, we ſhall ſtill be made more fenfi-
ble of the Purity of their Tafte, in compa-
riſon of ours. There we find that Paffion
repreſented with all the Softneſs and Delicacy
wherewith it operates in thofe virtuous Minds,
which find Love itfelf to be the higheſt En-
joyment in Love. Inftead of forced Turns
of Wit, and labour'd Allufions, we are enter-
tained with the Language of undiſguiſed Na-
ture, and true Affection. I have feen a no-
ble Inftance of this in an old Song, called
Phyllis and Amyntas. I do not know but
it may
have fuffer'd much from the leud Cor-
rections of unskilful Hands; but the four or
five concluding Stanza's feem to have eſcaped
that Misfortune, and have fomething in them
ſo juſt and tender, that I perfuade my ſelf,
my Readers will not be difpleaſed with a
fight of them.
How oft didst thou declare to me,
The Heavens fhould turn to nought,
$
1
The
ތ
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 131
The Sun fhould firft obfcured be,
Ere thou shouldft change thy Thought?
Te Heavens, diffolve without Delay;
Sun, fhow thy Face no more!
Amyntas' Love is loft for Ay;
And woe is me therefore !
God knows, it would not grieve me much,
For to be flain for thee;
But ob! too near it doth me touch,
That thou ſhouldſft murder me.
With that her Hand, cold, wan and pale,
Upon her Breaft ſhe lays;
And ſeeing that her Breath did fail,
She fighs, and then ſhe fays-
Amyntas
And with that, poor Maid,
She figh'd again fo fore,
That after that, ſhe never faid,
Nor figh'd, nor faid no more.
THUS were the common People of theſe
Iflands entertained about a hundred, or a
hundred and fifty years ago; which ſhould
make us bluſh, when we compare it with
what paffes thro' their Hands now-a-days.
But to do this muſt be the Buſineſs of fome
fucceeding Paper.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
K
No 16
132 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
N° 16.
Saturday, July 17, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Non tu in triviis, indocte folebas
Stridenti miferum ftipulâ diſperdere carmen.
SIR,
F
VIRG.
EW People are more anſwerable
for their Writings, than thoſe who
have made fuccefsful Court to the
Mufes; and no Set of Authors
ought to be more careful to purge their Works
from every thing indecent or offenfive to Vir-
tue and good Manners. Their Labours are
the uſual Amuſements of the Great and the
Fair, the Young and the Gay; and confe-
quently their Influence is very extenfive, as
they have a great Hand in forming the Tafte
and Manners of thofe who are either the En-
vy or Admiration of the reft of Mankind.
Their Notions ſteal eaſily into the Minds of
their Readers, who, tranfported with the
pleafing Enthufiafm, have no leifure to exa-
mine into the Juftneſs and Reaſonableneſs of
them.
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 133
them. And as the meaner fort of People are
ever imitating the Manners and Cuſtoms of
their Betters, we need not be much at a lofs
for the Reaſon of what I obferv'd in my laſt
Letter, our common People being of late
years fo ill uſed in the Entertainments their
Scribes prepare for them. For all Dregs
muſt participate of the Liquor from whence
they have fettled; and fo Doggrel, which is
but the Lees of Poetry, as that becomes cor-
rupted, will of courfe increaſe both in Bulk
and Filth.
It is not therefore to be wonder'd
at, that when immodeft Images and indecent
Expreſſions are adopted by Writers of Genius
and Learning, the Performances of the Rab-
ble ſhould ſink into downright Ribaldry and
Bawdry; and that as far as that kind of Wit
goes, the Learned of Grubstreet are now a-
ble to Pit, Box, and Gallery it with Mr.
Bayes himſelf.
My Correſpondent Perdomifos thought it
his duty to animadvert on a Species of Wri-
ting in Profe, of too fhort a continuance to
deſerve being taken notice of. There was no
danger that the Authors he cenfures ſhould
have any body to imitate or fucceed them.
Had he been pleaſed to infpect the Poetical
Precincts of Grubfireet, as carefully as he
feems to have done the Profaic, he would
have found our modern Ballads much more
worthy the Pains of chaſtifing. For tho the
Individuals are poor perishable things, that
are born and die in a Day, yet the Kinds are
134 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
ftill propagating, and afford the common Peo-
ple new Incentives to the Practice of every
Vice their Station of Life renders them capa-
ble of.
IT would be endleſs, as well as idle and ri-
diculous, to recount the feveral Species of
Impertinence which may be met with in
turning over but a few of our late English
Ballads. There is one ſeems almoſt peculiar
to the People of theſe Nations; that is, the
unaccountable Liberty taken by many of our
Doggrelifts of rhyming feditiously, and fet-
ting the Affairs of the Nation to a Tune.
This has a natural Tendency to fet the Po-
pulace a madding, and propagate Lyes and
fenfeleſs Animofities among them. We have
feen this carry'd to a Height of Infolence in
our own Age, which, in concurrence with
fome other Circumftances, had very near in-
volved us in Blood and Confufion. An im-
portant Debate in Parliament, or at the Coun-
cil-Board, cannot be heard of, but immedi-
ately the Arguments pro and con muſt be laid
out in proper Stanza's; and a falling Mini-
fter makes his Exit in a Ballad, as naturally as
if there were a ſtanding Law for that purpoſe.
THIS however is an Abuſe of vulgar Me-
tre, which ſeems to be pretty much laid afide
at prefent, and indeed never was fo univerfal
as your Half-fheet Hiftories of conftant Lo-
vers and cruel Parents. As Love is the con-
flant Attendant of Youth, as well among the
mean and laborious, as the rich and the idle,
the
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 135
the ill Confequences of cultivating miſtaken
Notions about it, cannot but be very great.
A wretched Jingler has it by this means in
his power to debauch all the Apprentices and
young Serving-Maids within the District of
the Printing-houſe he works for. The pious
Defign of a Parish in erecting and endowing
a Charity-School, may be defeated by a grace-
lefs Rogue that can hardly read; and a Far-
thing Candle burnt out in the compofing of a
Half-penny Hiſtory, become an Inftrument
of more real Miſchief to a Nation, than a
whole Train of Artillery loaded with all the
Thunder of an Epic Poem. Nor will this
appear fo very paradoxical, to any one who
duly confiders of what Importance it is to a
State to train up the Youth in Induſtry and
Virtue, and knows how much the Bulk of the
People are uſually wrought upon by this fort
of Entertainment.
THOI think it much below the Dignity
of the Pulpit to take fuch a mean Subject into
cognizance, yet I apprehend, that in Coun-
try Congregations it would be full as useful
as to confute Hobbes, and other bold Au-
thors, who have more openly attack'd Reli-
gion and Virtue. There is many a Country
Booby that would not be fhaken out of his
Piety or Honeſty by all that Mr. Hobbes has
written, who by reading fome pretty new
Garland might very eafily be put in mind to
give a Green Gown to the first ruddy Lafs that
came in his way. And I dare fay, the young
Κ
KA
Squire
136 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Squire who fell in love with beautiful Nancy,
and preferr❜d her to a rich Heiress his Parents
had provided for him, has coft more Maiden-
heads among Chambermaids and Farmers
Daughters, than could be gained by the moſt
elaborate Defence of Whoring, any licentious
Wit of the Age is capable of producing. Men
are much more apt to be wrought upon by
Example than Inftruction; and this holds
cqually in inculcating the Principles of Vice,
as in propagating the Maxims of Reafon and
Virtue.
How often have Footmen, and other
mean People, been ſpirited up to make their
Addreffes to young Ladies of Fortune and
Diſtinction, by the Inftances they have read
of in Ballads of fuch unequal Alliances? Ma-
ny a virtuous and honourable Family is, I
doubt not, at this very inftant mourning the
Ruin of a darling Child, reduc'd to Shame
and Poverty by a faucy Fellow, whoſe Affu-
rance would probably never have carry'd
him to fuch an Attempt, had it not been
ftrengthen'd by the perufal of many fucceſs-
ful Adventures of the fame kind he happen'd
to meet with in the courfe of his reading,
If you catch a Gentleman's Servant, or a
Tradeſman's Apprentice, with a printed Pa-
per in his hand, 'tis great odds but you will
find it to contain a Hiftory of fome young
Lady, who fell in love with one of their
Station; and deſpairing of her Friends con-
fent to make it a Marriage, makes off with
her
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 137
her Lover in a diſguiſed Habit, liſts herſelf
for a Soldier, or perhaps goes aboard a Man
of War in quality of a Cabin-Boy. There,
to be ſure, after a great Variety of extraor-
dinary Adventures, the raiſes herſelf to ſome
confiderable Command; and upon her Return
home, and diſcovering herſelf to her Parents,
is received with ſuch Tranſports of Joy, that
they immediately forgive her all her Extra-
vagances, and reward the Rogue that be-
tray'd her, with making him their Son-in-
law. In the time of the late War I have met,
I believe, with upwards of a hundred Ballads
all raiſed upon this Plan, and remember to
have ſeen ſeveral young Girls mightily pleaſed
to find their Sex had done fo many notable
Services againſt the common Enemy, not
without fome diftant Thoughts of repeating
fo pretty an Experiment themſelves.
I LEAVE it to my Readers to gather what
may be the Effects of infpiring the common
People with fuch unreaſonable Ambitions.
But there is ſtill ſomething worſe than all this
in many of our Ballads. Intrigues and Cuc-
koldoms are become very faſhionable Subjects
of the Grubstreet Productions. Our Ancef
tors knew little or nothing of this; and fuch
things were never mention'd but with Re-
proach and Abhorrence. For tho Chaucer
has fome Tales that are licentious enough,
yet they are all of the Satiric kind, and feem
to be principally levelled at the loofe and dif-
orderly Lives of the then Clergy, that_the
Eyes
138 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Eyes of the Nation might be opened, and
People prepar'd to fhake off a Bondage un-
der which they had fo long groaned; to the
doing whereof, it has been the Opinion of
feveral judicious Authors, his Writings did
not a little contribute. The old Ballad of
Queen Eleanor and Earl Marſhal, is a moſt
moving and pathetick Deſcription of the fa-
tal Confequences attending the Breach of the
Marriage-Vow. I have feen a whole Fire-
fide burst into Tears at the Recital of it, tho
labouring under all the Diſadvantages of mean
Expreffions fet to moft wretched Mufick. The
prefent Generation of Songfters make an
Affair of this fort matter of Triumph and
Merriment. A rich Merchant gone up the
Streights, and having his Place fupply'd by
Billy the Apprentice, is a ftanding Jeft; and
nothing can be more edifying, than to obferve
how the Mob chuckle, and hug themſelves,
upon hearing Trillo and his virtuous Con-
fort, melodiouſly diſtributing, among them
the various Tricks of fome cunning well-
tutored Good-wife, to accompliſh her De-
figns, and impoſe upon an eaſy and good-
natur'd Husband.
THERE are but two ways I can think of
for remedying theſe Abuſes. The one is,
that Authors who are favour'd by the Muſes,
and bleft with a fuperior Genius, fhould
give no ill Example to the Croud of Scriblers
below them, who ever were, and ever will
be imitating their Manner, and treading in
their
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 139
their Footsteps. If the noble Rage of Poe-
try exerts itſelf in virtuous and manly Per-
formances, fuch as may infpire great and ge-
nerous Sentiments, fortify the Mind in con-
ſcious Honeſty and Integrity, and call up the
dear and charming Ideas of Innocence, Love,
Friendſhip, Liberty and a Country, it is next
to an Impoffibility but fomething of that Spi-
rit muſt follow, and propagáte it felf thro' a
whole People. But when Wit and Learning
are mifimployed in the Production of Hans
Carvel's, Paulo Purganti's, and fuch like Pie-
ces, we can expect nothing elſe, but that the
fame Taint fhall fpread thro' the Compofitions
of the Vulgar, and with a much greater de-
gree of Impurity and Corruption. I fubmit
it to theſe ingenious Gentlemen themſelves,
whether in their cool Thoughts, they would
think it more eligible to enjoy the Reputation,
as Sir William Temple fomewhere expreffes it,
of making a Company laugh, or a whole
Kingdom rejoice.
THE other Remedy I would offer is only
an Expedient, till a more perfect Reformation
can be obtained; That every one, as far as
their Influence extends, fhould either divert
thofe under it from reading Ballads altogether,
or elſe be at the pains to look out for fuch as
may afford them Amuſement, without vitiating
their Underſtanding, or endangering their In-
nocence.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
140 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
N° 17.
Saturday, July 24, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Ut enim pictores, & ii, qui figna fabri-
cantur, & vero etiam Poeta, fuum quif-
que opus a vulgo confiderari vult; ut ſi
quid reprehenfum fit a pluribus, id corri-
gatur; hique & fecum, & cum aliis, quid
in eo peccatum fit, exquirunt : Sic aliorum
judicio permulta nobis & facienda, & non
facienda, & mutanda, & corrigenda funt.
SIR,
I
CIC.
N the whole Compafs of Speech,
I don't remember a Phraſe more
frequently in every body's mouth,
or that has run thro' a greater
Variety of different Significations,
than the Contempt of the World. The ori
ginal Meaning of it, I take to have been,
that juſt Diſdain, which a wife and good Man
ought to have of the external Advantages of
Life and Fortune, when brought into com-
petition with the Enjoyments arifing from the
Purſuits of Reaſon and Virtue. And in re-
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 141
gard fuch a Principle feems entirely oppofite
to the Maxims, or at leaſt to the Practices of
the Bulk of Mankind, this Phrafe was after-
wards brought to fignify that generous Difre-
gard and Unconcern at the Cenfures of others
upon our Actions, which arifes in us when-
ever we find them agreeable to Honeſty and
Virtue, and are convinced of our own In-
tegrity in the Motives from whence they
proceeded.
To defpife or contemn the World then in
this Senfe, is a Thing founded on right Rea-
fon, and the Effect of a truly noble and
magnanimous Temper. But there are People
in the World equally Proof againſt the Cen-
fures of it, whofe Conduct none will prefume
to juſtify, and whofe whole Lives are one
continued Contradiction to every Thing
manly or rational. Theſe fcorn the World
as much as the wifeſt and beſt Man in it,
and are as careleſs what others think of their
Conduct, as if it were entirely blameleſs and
unexceptionable.
IT is natural, even for the moft degenerate
Species of Mankind, to love the Appearance
of any Virtue, however averſe they may be
to the Practice of it. Hypocrify is but the
Counterfeit of Devotion; Frugality is a Cover
for Avarice; and the pretended Reſemblance
it bears to Liberality and Beneficence, is very
often improved into an Argument for Profu-
fion. A fcrupulous Exactneſs in the Payment
of Debts contracted by Gaming, has been
frequently
#
142 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
frequently the Occafion that many an honeſt
Tradefman has ſtarved in a Goal for ſupply-
ing the Neceffities of the very Perſon that
was thus punctual to the Engagements of
Riot and Prodigality. And I have known a
Fellow Villain enough to ftab a Man in the
dark, who would not have endured the leaſt
foul Play at a Cock-fight, and would have
expreſſed the higheſt degree of Indignation
and Refentment, had a Maſtiff met with any
ungentleman-like Treatment in the Bear-
garden.
To this univerfal Affectation of every
Thing great or laudable, it is, that we may
aſcribe, in a great meaſure, the Eafinefs which
weak or vitious Men appear to be under,
with reſpect to the Opinion and Eſteem of
the World about them. It is reaſonable, nay
more, it is generous, in fome Cafes, to act
in contradiction to a prevailing Notion, and
to facrifice the Applaufes of an injudicious
Multitude to the filent Pleafures of Self-ap-
probation and confcious. Innocence. In fuch
Cafes, to act any otherwife, wou'd be doing
Violence to Human Nature, and be attended
with fuch inward Pain and Reluctance, as all
the external Advantages of Fortune and Re-
putation would never be able to counter-
balance. Every body therefore is fond of
appearing animated by fo very juſt and manly
a Principle; by which means, what ſhould
only be the Shield of Virtue and Good-fenfe,
is frequently made a Stalking-horſe to Vice
and
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 143
and Indiſcretion. Hence we fee there is no
where to be found a Race of more invete-
rate and obftinate Defpifers of the World,
than your People of broken Reputations and
irregular Conduct. All the Misfortunes and
Difeſteem their Vices or Follies have brought
upon them, are only the Frowns of an envi-
ous and malicious World; and therefore can
claim nothing but Difregard from People of
fuch a ſuperior Genius, and exalted reach of
Underſtanding.
A FELLOW of this impudent Make, who
has loft his Nofe in the purfuit of ungovern-
able Luft, fhall immediately Snuff at the
World, with as haughty an Air, as a Philo-
fopher, who had only the misfortune to be
born without one. Another who has ruined
his Eſtate, either thro' fupine Negligence and
Mifmanagement, or an expenfive and riotous
Courfe of Life, will triumph over his thriving
and induſtrious Neighbours, laugh at, what
he calls, their mean and pitiful Ways, and
receive moft prodigious Confolation in think-
ing how unequally the World is difpens'd.
Nor is it very unuſual to find People, whom
it is grown fcandalous to appear in company
with, exprefs the higheſt Contempt of others,
and in great Gallantry of Wickedneſs perſiſt
in making themſelves more and more odious
to them; as if they delighted in Mifery out
of
pure Spite, and to put an Affront upon
Mankind.
ÚNA-
144 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
UNAVOIDABLE Misfortunes are by no
means a proper Subject of Ridicule; and
therefore no Man has any juft caufe to be
aſhamed, or caft down on the ſcore of them.
But when they are the Effects of a criminal
or highly imprudent Conduct, to put on an
Air of Neglect and Unconcern about the
Judgment of Mankind upon us, to carry a
ſcornful Behaviour, and bravery of Counte-
nance under them, feems to be a plain re-
nouncing both of Reafon and Humanity.
The greateſt Happineſs of rational Beings ariſes
from the Exercife and Enjoyment of focial
Love: So that whofoever has arrived to that
degree of Infenfibility, as habitually to pre-
fer the Gratification of fordid and unruly
Appetites to the Efteem and Good-will of
his Fellow-Creatures, has evidently fallen
from Human Nature, by making an Election
of Pleaſures inconfiftent with it, and extin-
guiſhing the firſt and moſt rational Principle
of Action. And in this Cafe, there can be
no Hopes of Amendment, or that the Mind
can ever recover its original Virtue; becauſe
having loft the Senſe of its trueft and greateſt
Intereſt, there are no proper Motives left to
influence its Actions, and bring them to
a juſt and regular Direction. Nothing lefs
than a Miracle is capable to reſtore a Soul
thus depraved and abandoned. Whereas fo
long as Men retain a Reverence for Mankind,
and are defirous of keeping up a fair Cha-
racter in the Eyes of the World, there ſtill
\\\remains
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 145
remains a handle whereby to turn them off
from any little Extravagances they may be
betrayed into, either by the Violence of
fudden Paffion, or too keen a Senfation of
Pleaſure.
BESIDES this Contempt of the World,
with regard to its Cenfure on Actions really
vitious and wicked, there is another criminal
kind of it, tho not equally fo, which fome-
times breaks out in the Conduct of Men,
who are otherwife People of Senſe and Vir-
tue; and leads them into Errors, which fre-
quently expofe them to a great many Incon-
veniences in the Commerce of Life, and the
Enjoyment of Society.
THERE are few of my Readers, I believe,
but what could produce innumerable Inſtan-
ces of People of this Character, who by an
inviolable Attachment to fome favourite
Whim, perhaps not unreafonable in it felf,
have drawn upon themfelves the Ridicule of
all their Acquaintance; againſt which they
have had no other Refuge, than to exclaim
againſt the whole World, as a Pack of un-
thinking Mortals, who have no manner of
true Taſte or Difcernment, and are governed
by Prejudices and popular Opinions, which
have no Foundation in Nature or Reafon.
THE Affectation of Singularity, and every
kind of Pedantry, are Difeafes of this fort;
in which, tho the Objects of our Humours
be of an indifferent nature, yet fince the
Judgment of Mankind is againſt them, we
Vol. I.
Le
ought
146 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
ought not, for a Trifle, to render ourſelves
abfurd and diſagreeable to thoſe, whoſe Eaſe
and Satisfaction it is a great part of our bufi-
neſs in this World to promote. The bare
Lawfulneſs of a thing is not fufficient to juſti-
fy the Uſe of it at all times, and in all pla-
ces; becauſe at that rate, we ſhould be per-
petually running ourſelves into Difficulties
and Trouble, without ferving any other End
than pleaſing an idle and obftinate Humour.
There would be nothing unlawful, for in-
ſtance, in turning the Back-part of our Coats
foremoſt, wearing the wrong Side of our
Stockings out, clapping half a dozen Knots
to a Wig, or appearing very peculiar in any
other part of Drefs or Equipage; yet, I fan-
fy, every body would reckon him a very
indifcreet Man, who fhou'd for the fake of
fuch unaccountable Diftinctions expoſe him-
felf to the Laughter of his Neighbours, and
to be pointed at as he paſs'd along the Streets.
NOTHING can be great, ſays Longi-
nus, which it is Greatness to contemn. For
the ſame reaſon, our Contempt of any Thing
can never be an Argument of a great Mind,
when it rifes from a Matter of Indifference,
and which has no regard to the Conduct of
Life, or the Intereft of Mankind. In this
cafe we diſcover the littleneſs of our Minds,
in regard we could not juſtify to ourſelves our
running counter to the World, without being
much employed in thinking on the Points in
difference between us and it. Now there is
not
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 147
not any thing more contempible than to em-
ploy our Thoughts on little and infignificant
Subjects, fuch as all thofe are from whence
Society can receive neither Good nor Hurt.
So that in effect, a tenacious Adherence to our
Humour, in contradiction to the prevailing
Cuſtoms of the Age or Country we live in,
betrays much the fame Spirit with thoſe who
fpend their Lives in the Contemplation of
Butterflies, or the empty Subtleties of the
School-Metaphyficks; with this difference,
that it requires a greater degree of Pride and
Ill-nature to be a queer Fellow, in an active,
than in a ſtudious and fpeculative Life.
WE ought therefore to be very cautious
how we give ourſelves the high Airs of con-
temning the World; and fhould be very fure
both of our own Superiority, and the hurtful
Tendency of any general Cuftom, before we
prefume to treat it in a fupercilious and ſcorn-
ful manner. In doubtful matters it is cer-
tainly our Wiſdom not to contend with the
Majority; and Wiſdom and Goodneſs both
forbid us to difturb the Peace of Mankind,
which Diſputes of all kinds in fome meaſure
do, for things we own ourſelves to be indif-
ferent; efpecially fince there is a much great-
er Probability of any ſingle Perſon's being in
the wrong, than the Bulk of Mankind.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICus.
148 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
N° 18.
Saturday, July 31, 1725.
To HIBERNICUS.
Quid prius dicam folitis parentis
Laudibus? Qui res hominum ac deorum,
Qui mare & terras, variifque mundum
Temperat boris?
Vnde nil majus generatur ipfo;
Nec viget quidquam fimile, aut fecundum.
SIR,
I
HOR.
N one of your late Papers, you
have obferved very juftly, that
Poetry in the early Ages of the
World was confecrated to the Ser-
vice of the Divinity. Let me
add, that the Reafon for its being fo, con-
tinues as ſtrong now as ever; and that no
other Subject affords a true Poet fuch a noble
Field for difplaying the Greatnefs and Beauty
of his Genius, as this does. Infinite Power,
joined with infinite Goodneſs, is a Theme
can never be exhaufted. And as the Know-
ledge of Nature is the greateſt Source of In-
vention, the Praiſes of its Author muft of
confe-
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 149
confequence be the beſt and nobleſt way of
employing that Faculty.
OUR Poets, in excufe for their not culti-
vating this kind of Poetry, may alledge the
bad Taſte of the Age as long as they pleaſe;
but it is evident, there has not been given
that occafion for the Complaint which they
pretend. For tho in a licentious Reign, and
at a time when the Man and his Principles
were become obnoxious to the greater Part
of the Nation, Milton's Divine Work, the
Paradife Loft, was overlooked for many
Years; yet we have feen it, even in this
Wicked Age, take a Run beyond any thing
in Verſe that ever was published in our Lan-
guage, and grow the Delight and Entertain-
ment of all Sorts of People among us, that
had the leaſt Genius or Inclination for Letters.
So that it is not fo much Compliance with
the Humour of the Age, that has hinder'd
our Authors from ſtriking into that Path, as
its being diſagreeable to their own.
IN confidence that the general Taſte is
not fo corrupted as thefe Gentlemen loudly
affirm, I fend you the following Poem; the
Author of which can claim no other Praife,
than that of turning common Speech into
Blank Verſe; the Thoughts, and almoſt the
Expreffions, being little more than copied
from one of our facred Writers, as they lie
in a Profe Tranflation. You are therefore to
regard them only as an Attempt to fhew how
proper for Verfe Divine Subjects are, and how
capable
La
150 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
capable of ſupporting the Spirit of Poetry,
by the great Images and noble Deſcriptions
they fo naturally furnish, even when other
Advantages are wanting, as they are vifibly
fo in what is now fubmitted to you by,
SIR,
Your very humble Servant,
MUSOPHILOS.
PSALM CIV. Paraphraſed.
IN
Imitation of MILTON's Style.
LESS God, my Soul! exceeding great and glo-
BLE
rious
Thou fitt'ft, O Lord, enthron'd on Heaven's high Arch,
Thy Palace, cloth'd with Majesty and Honour.
Compass'd about with everlasting Light,
Thy Realms thou cover'ft with th' effulgent Mantle,
Whoſe ample Skirts diffufing orient Gleams,
Illumine all the blue tranflucid Æther,
By thee ſtretch'd out; a fair and vaft Pavilion!
Where mighty Floods with Din and Roar impetuous
Tofs high the angry Wave, thine Hand has laid
The Rafters that ſuſtain thy shining Chambers ;
A wondrous Fabrick! Clouds thou mak' ft thy Chariots,
Which carried on the Wings of driving Storms,
Proclaim the awful Prefence of th' Almighty.
Him Winds obey; and airy Meteors flab
His
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 151
His Meffages, to the Divine Command
Obfequious. Earth he on her Centre fix'd
Immoveable, and pois'd in yielding Air.
Her Face with Waters thou didst overspread ;
Collected food the vast circumfluous Heap,
The lofty Mountains in its Womb involving;
Abyss profound! Again at thy Rebuke
They fled; and at the Thunder of thy Voice,
Precipitant roll'd down into the Deep,
Their oozy Bed; Wave tumbling, after Wave.
Thence thro' the Rocks by fecret Ducts they rife,
And gushing thro' the fhaggy Mountains fides,
Irriguous travel o'er a thouſand Lands,
Till in the Deep's capacious Lap receiv'd.
Here he hath circumfcrib'd the fwelling Ocean,
And fix'd its Bounds, that it may whelm no more
The Spacious Earth. He fends the limpid Springs,
That down the Hillocks with melodious Lapfe
Defcending, wander thro' the verdant Lawns,
Where Herbs, and Flourets grow of various Hue.
There Beafts that rove in Foreft or in Field,
Drink unreftrain'd; and void of Fear, wild Affes
Their Thirft allay; while on the grafy Bank
Tall Trees their Branches Spread abroad profuſe ;
Fit Habitation for the tuneful Birds,
Whofe liquid Notes with gentle Impulſe tremble
Along the Silver Surface of the Brook.
FROM his high Chambers in the failing Clouds
He fendeth foftning Rain; Moiſture prolific !
That gently watereth thirsty Hill and Dale,
Till Earth, with Plenty crown'd of golden Fruits,
Smiles amiable. Tender Blades of Graſs
He caufeth Spring, that Cattle there may browſe
Luxurious: Nor for Man's Relief are wanting
Herbs, Part expiring aromatick Fumes
Of healing Virtue; Part with Juice delicious
Inviting Sweet Repaft; with Wine to chear
The heavy Heart, and gloomy Cares diſpel ;
0:1
152 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Oil, to anoint and brighten up the Face;
And Corn, the Food and Strength of Human Kind.
THE Trees of God are flouriſhing and fair ;
Without the Art of Man the Mountain Cedar
Is nourish'd, and on Lebanon exalts
Its comely Height, affording ample Shelter
To airy Wanderers, the feather'd Brood.
The lofty Fir the Stork her Dwelling chooſes;
Wild Goats the Summit of the craggy Rock,
Within whose hollow Caverns feebler Creatures
Retiring, Scape the Rage of clofe Purfuers.
AT God's Command the Moon, her Silver Horns
Imblazing in the Sun's refplendent Orb,
Renews her Face, and points the changing Seafons.
His Duty too the glorious Lamp of Day
Lions
Is taught, and knows his fixed Hours to rife,
And flush with refy Charms the Face of Morn,
Or fet in Western Waves. Then gloomy Darknefs
(Her Sable Stole o'er Heaven's high Convex Spread)
Permits the Foreft Beaft to range abroad;
When, fallying from their rueful Dens, young
Roar thro' the filent Wilderness for Prey,
And feek their Meat from God, whofe lib'ral Hand
The Univerſe fuftains: All Night they prowl
Secure and undiſturb'd, till Morn's Approach
Back to their Haunts the Ravagers commands;
While Man, commencing with the Sun his Toil,
Till Even-tide the fruitful Glebe manures.
HOW manifold, Lord, are thy Works, that bear
Such bright Discoveries of Almighty Skill !
The Spacious Earth, replenish'd with thy Riches,
Proclaims the Bounty of her great Creator.
Nor filent is the mighty Deep, whofe Boſom
Swarms numberless with Fish of every kind,
Part huge of Bulk, and Part a reptile Spawn.
There royal Navies cut their stately Way,
And plow with bended Keel the foaming Surge.
There too, the great Leviathan upheaves
TH
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 153
His cumbrous Mail, and in pernicious Frolick,
Lashes with dreadful Fins the furious Billows.
All thefe for Suftenance on Thee attend,
And feek their daily Alms from Thee; indulgent
Thou freely giv'ft, and they with Joy receive:
Thou op'ft thy Hand, and they are fill'd with Good;
Thou hid'ft thy Face, and ftrait again they mourn ;
Their Breath thou tak'ft; they die, and at thy Word,
Thy pow'rful Word! Death and Corruption fee.
Again thou fend'ft thy Spirit forth, enliv'ning
With vital Warmth the dead unactive Heap;
And Earth, renew'd as in her youthful Prime,
Smiles chearful on her new-created Offspring.
THUS thro' fucceffive Ages is proclaim'd
Thy Glory: and, ftablish'd by thy Providence,
The World a Standing Monument of Praiſe
Remains; for pleas'd with what thine Hand has made,
Thou doft the Waftes of mould'ring Time repair.
If thou in Wrath but look'ft upon the Earth,
It trembleth ftrait, and rent with ftrong Convulfions
Shrinks at the Prefence of an angry God!
And lofty Mountains at thy Touch are made
To fmoak, and veil their Heads in Clouds of Darkness.
İN Hymns to God, from whom I have my Being,
I will that Life he has bestow'd employ ;
Sweet Exercife! that to my Soul will yield
Soft Peace, and Streams of Joy, and heav'nly Solace.
Let impious Men by impious Deeds draw down
Almighty Vengeance on their guilty Heads,
And dire Deftruction feize the finful Crew.
Blefs thou, my Soul, the Lord thy God; and join
In Confort, all ye lift'ning Worlds around.
N° 19.
154 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Saturday, August 7, 1725.
Nº 19.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Sit mihi fas audita loqui.-
SIR,
I
VIRG.
T would be unjuft, as well as un-
kind, intirely to overlook the Let-
ters of my Correfpondents. Such
of them as would admit of being
publiſh'd by themſelves, and as in-
tire Pieces, I have already communicated to
my Readers; and it gives me abundance of
Pleaſure to reflect, that I have had thereby
an Opportunity of making the Publick a-
mends for my own Faults and Deficiencies.
But befides thofe, I have other Letters, which
cou'd not fo conveniently be published in
that manner. I have therefore fet
I have therefore fet apart this
Day's Paper to make my Acknowledgments
on this Head, and account for my Conduct
to the Gentlemen concerned.
THE first is from one T. B. who calls
himſelf a Country Curate, and finds great
fault with me for a preceding Paper upon
Çajtle-building, which it ſeems had fuch In-
2
fluence
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 155
fluence over him, as to engage him very
deeply in that whimſical Exerciſe. Now it
happens, that this Letter is not for my felf
neither, but I am only to be the Canal for
conveying it to his Miſtreſs, to whom he
makes great Complaints of my having fet
him fo hard at work. I muft own, I think
it a little unreaſonable in him, to defire I
ſhould make my felf the Tool of his Reſent-
ment, and incur the Diſpleaſure of a Lady,
whom, I can feriouſly proteft, I never had
the leaſt Intention to offend, not knowing
whether there be any fuch Perfon living.
Then to fay, that I put him on Caftle-build-
ing! is a moſt unjuft and groundleſs Afper-
fion- -For my whole Deſign in that Paper
was only to advife fuch as were Caftle-
builders already, to fettle their Foundations
on a furer Bottom than is ufually done by
our inviſible Architects; and to fetch their
Schemes from real and not imaginary Circum-
ftances of Life. So that had he taken me
right, he would have employed his Talents
in Maſonry to the Edification of Churches,
rather than to the Building of Caftles.
I HAVE alſo a Copy of Verfes from a
Gentleman, who fubfcribes himself Sylvius,
upon a fine Lady, who had her Face very
much disfigured with the Small-pox; wherein
there are a great many things worthy a place
among Performances, which may hope for a
longer Exiſtence than any thing of mine can
pretend to. But at the fame time my Corre-
fpondent
156 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
fpondent muſt give me the liberty of think-
ing, that ſome things might very convenient-
ly have been fpared, and that Wit may be
fometimes too luxurious, and carried into an
unbecoming Extravagance. Upon confulting
my Friend Perdomifos in this Cafe, it was
found requifite to defire the Gentleman would
take a review of his Performance, and prune
it of fome little Excrefcencies, which, with
very fhort recollection, himſelf will eafily
diſcover.
PHILO-Hibernicus, who fends me a
Deſcription of a certain profound Mathema-
tician he happened to pick up in Effex
Street, is defired to fend me the Name, and
place of Abode of the Perfon he characte-
rizes For upon laying all Circumſtances to-
gether, my Mind mifgives me very much,
that the Perfon there reprefented is not to be
found on this fide the Clouds. And I am
fully perfuaded, the Surface of our Earth is
fruitful enough in abſurd and ridiculous Cha-
racters, to prevent our going in fearch of
them to the higher Regions of the Atmo-
fphere.
A CERTAIN School-mafter refufing to give
his Scholars Play on the firſt of the laſt
Month, being the Anniverſary of the memora-
ble Battle of the Boyne, has occafioned a very
farcaftical Epigram from one of the young
Gentlemen aggrieved, who is exceeding
earneſt with me that I thould publiſh his
Verſes, after having taken care to have them
properly
HIBERNICUSs's Letters. 157
I
properly pointed. As I think Youth ought
to be encouraged as much as poffible in every
thing towardly and ingenious, I fhould be
extremely fond to comply with his Requeſt,
were I not apprehenfive there may be fome
danger to my young Correfpondent himſelf
in interpofing in an Affair of this nature.
must therefore beg to be excuſed till the firſt
of July next enfuing; by which time, if
he be a good Boy, and minds his Book, he
may poffibly be more out of the Terror of
Birch, and confequently in a better Capa-
city for afpiring to the Honour of the Bays.
THERE remains only one other Obliga-
tion, which I must confefs, I have been over
long in acquitting. It is a Copy of Verſes oc-
cafioned by the before-mentioned Paper on
Caftle-building. Some Friends to whom I
have fhewn them, are of opinion, they are
rather intended as a piece of Raillery upon
me, than a Compliment. Of that the Au-
thor himſelf is the beft Judge. For me, I
am perfectly indifferent in which of the two
Lights they are taken. I give them to my
Readers only, becauſe I think them good
Verſes; and they are welcome to under-
ftand them as they pleaſe, provided the
Perufal of them contributes to their Enter-
tainment.
To
158 HIBERNICUS's Letters:
To HIBERNICUS.
Y your aerial and indulgent Scheme
Br
We're all permitted, when awake, to dream ;
To raife our Thoughts above our own Degree,
And lull our Cares with feign'd Felicity.
Great are the Joys in those exalted Scenes
Where Pow'r and Pleaſure wait, and Fancy reigns;
For there no Disappointment intervenes.
Thofe Raptures too are innocently wrought ;
Our only Crime's extravagance of Thought;
But that, to what is great and good inclin'd,
Atones for all Exceffes of the Kind.
THE plodding dull material Mortar-Man
Spends half his Life adjuſting of his Plan ;
The other half he is perplex'd to find
Matter and Situation to his Mind;
Whilft we at once erect, and fill a Throne,
The Crown, the Sceptre, and the Right our own ;
Our Thoughts our Subjects, and our Realms the Air,
Our Palace an enchanted Caftle there,
Where no Pretender with a foreign Aid
Can be admitted, or our Court betray'd.
So when we would enjoy Pow'r, Wealth and Fame,
We're foon poffefs'd of all our Wishes claim.
WHATEVER wild Chimera of the Brain
Lifts our Conceits above the Senfe of Pain,
Sufpends our Cares, our Hearts with Gladness fills,
And gives us Pow'r to dream away our Ills ;
Whate'er you call that fort of Refverie,
'Tis your beſt Wiſdom and Philofophy.
}
HAVING thus accounted for the Favours
of my Correfpondents, I muſt make it my
Requeſt to fuch of them as intend to continue
honouring me with their Correſpondence, to
endeavour.
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 159
endeavour fo to contrive it for the future,
that I may not be frequently obliged either
to incur their Diſpleaſure, or make up my
Papers of broken and independent Pieces.
For however taking that way might have
been in fome former Papers, which it would
be a piece of infufferable Vanity in me to
mention, while I am talking of my own,
it is evidently inconfiftent with the Nature
and Deſign of this, which, without lofing
its good Grace, requires to be confined to
fome one particular Subject. This, however,
fhall not hinder me from giving my Readers,
at ſome convenient Intervals, a miſcellaneous
Paper, made up
of fuch little looſe Pieces as
may hereafter be fent me, and fhall appear
deferving to be communicated to the Pub-
lick; there being nothing I fhould be more
ambitious of, than to be the Means of bring-
ing into Light the hidden Worth and Genius
of my Countrymen, as much as it is now
the Faſhion to undervalue and neglect it,
where it is truly eminent.
I am, Sir,
Tour very humble Servant,
•
HIBERNICUS.
No 28.
160 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
UGLAS METALSO ORS
N 20. Saturday, August 14, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Non eft,
Quod vos creditis eſſe, vita non eft.
SIR,
A
PENTADII Frag.
LL the open Attacks which have
been made upon Religion and Vir-
tue by their declared Enemies,
have not been capable to do near
the Harm which has been done
either thro' the indifcreet and intemperate
Zeal, or the wrong and miſtaken Notions, of
fome Men, not only pretending, but really
poffeffing an honeft Intention for the fervice
of both. By the former means Men, other-
wife of a noble Temper and kind Difpofition,
have fuffer'd themſelves to be drawn in to
hate, vilify, and perfecute their unhappy Neigh-
bours, only for thinking in a different man-
ner; and thereby have given the Enemies of
Religion a Handle to charge it with a Fault,
only imputable to the Weakneſs or Wicked-
nefs of its Profeffors. In the fame manner,
when Religion has been inculcated by Men
of
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
161
of a faturnine and melancholy Humour, it
has been ſet in ſo dark and comfortleſs a View,
that People of a more lively and chearful
Turn have been frightned with the Picture,
and fled from it as a dangerous Shore, the
falling in with which muft at once daſh to
pieces all the Enjoyments and innocent Plea-
fures of Life.
How often has Virtue too been repre-
fented in the fame unamiable and forbidding
Form, by fome of her over-zealous and inju-
dicious Votaries? How often have we been
told, that the wife, the good Man muſt make
himſelf independent on every thing external;
muft renounce Pleaſure, extinguiſh his Defires;
and in a word, ceaſe to be a Man, by aſpiring
to become a God? Virtue with them is all
Self-denial; and we muſt do violence to Nature
and Inclination, before we can be enrolled a-
mong her Followers. And thus have they
done with Mens Minds, as fome Phyſicians
do with their Bodies, kept them under the
perpetual Diſeaſe of taking Phyfick, in order to
preſerve their Health. It is to be hoped how-
ever, they have imitated the Prudence of the
Faculty in another very material Point, and
been very ſparing themſelves in the uſe of
thofe Medicines they prefcribe to others.
In order to make this Syftem go down the
better, they have endeavour'd to give us a
little and contemptible Notion of human Life,
and all the Enjoyments it affords, as things
of no Confequence, and unworthy the Pur-
Vol. I.
M
fuit
*
162
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
1
fuit of a noble and rational Mind. If we will
believe them, this World is but a Wilderneſs,
and all our Life but one continued Dream,
and that too, filled up either with nothing
elfe but Images of Horror and Mifery, or
airy Viſions of empty and delufive Happineſs.
Infomuch that if we be Men of Senfe and
Philoſophy, the moft natural thing we could
do were to refolve in the Negative that Diffi-
culty Shakespear makes his Hamlet to labour
under;
To Be, or not to Be, that is the Question.
For indeed if Life be what theſe Gentlemen
paint it, it is at leaſt a Poffeffion we have no
great reafon to with the Continuance of.
SOME Chriftian as well as Heathen Au-
thors have fallen into the fame Road of think-
ing; and to enhance the Joys and Felicity of
a Life hereafter, have thought fit to give us
the loweſt and meaneft Idea poffible of the
Comforts to be met with, and the Employ-
ments to be purfued in our prefent State of
Exiſtence. We have a remarkable Inſtance
of this in one of the greateſt Writers of our
Age, the admirable Author of the Theory of
the Earth; who, after having in a Blaze of
divine Eloquence, fuitable to the Grandeur of
the Subject, deſcribed the Ruin of this Earth
in the Conflagration, upon a Review of the
feveral Revolutions it had undergone, and
particularly this laſt great and amazing one,
among a great many Excellencies, has the
.foi-
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 183
following Reflection, which, if taken in its
full Extent, is, in my humble Opinion, very
exceptionable. That I may not mifreprefent
a Man of fo much Worth and Goodness, I
fhall give it to my Readers in his own words.
For what is this Life but a Circulation of
little mean Actions? We lie down, and rife.
again, drefs and undress, feed and wax hun-
gry, work or play, and are weary; and then
we lie down again, and the Circle returns.
We Spend the Day in Trifles; and when the
Night comes, we throw our felves into the
Bed of Folly, amongst Dreams, and broken
Thoughts, and wild Imaginations. Our Rea-
fon lies afleep by us, and we are for the time
as arrant Brutes as those that fleep in the
Stalls, or in the Field. Are not the Capa-
cities of Men higher than theſe? And ought
not his Ambition and Expectations to be
greater? Let us be Adventurers for ano-
ther World: 'Tis at least a fair and noble
Chance; and there is nothing in this worth
our Thoughts or our Paffions If we should
be disappointed, we are still no worse than
the rest of our Fellow-Mortals; and if we
fucceed in our Expectations, we are eternally
happy.
Is this a true deſcription of human Life,
under a juſt and proper Regulation? Surely
no. For tho it muſt be owned, that a great
part of Mankind do indeed pafs their Lives
in the Manner here reprefented, enjoy no
M 2
more
164 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
more than a kind of Animal Exiſtence, and
dream away whole Years without any higher
Occupation than Eating, Drinking, and Sleep-
ing, fo that to them Life becomes a Trifle and
a Burden; yet that does not arife from the
Nature of things, but from our own Miſappli-
cation of them, and an over Indulgence of the
'fenfual Appetites. This World is not the Seat
of Folly and Mifery, becauſe there is nothing
elfe to be found in it, but becauſe we our
felves do not tread the Paths of Wiſdom and
Happineſs. Providence has been fo bounti-
ful to us, that even in this Life there is am-
ple Proviſion made for our Enjoyment of ra-
tional and ſubſtantial Pleaſures, tho fubject to
a great many Viciffitudes, and frequently
mingled with much Affliction and Sorrow.
The Inquiry after Truth; the Contemplation
of God and Nature; a justly acquir'd Repu-
tation among Mankind; rational and enter-
taining Converſation with our Friends; do-
ing them all the good Offices that lie in our
power; promoting the Intereft of our dear
Country; or generous Endeavours for the
univerfal Good; are all of them productive
of Pleaſure in this Life, and Purſuits of fuch
a kind, as I dare venture to affirm, the excel-
lent Author, upon whofe Words I have been
animadverting, never imagined to be unwor-
thy of his Thoughts or his Paffions, but much
the contrary.
THIS Contempt of Life, and all its Enjoy-
ments in grofs, will lead us to the Contempt
of
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 165
of Being in general. For tho both Reaſon
and Revelation affure us of a future State
vaſtly preferable to this; yet 'tis certain that
our ſeveral Employments in that State, and
the conſequent Pleaſures arifing from them,
will only differ in degree, and not in kind,
from thofe of a good and virtuous Man here
below. So that we muſt always take theſe
general Exclamations of the Vanity of the
World, and the Emptiness of all the Goods
it affords, with fome grains of allowance, o-
therwiſe we ſhall damp our moſt reaſonable
Ambition, and ficken with our Expectations
of an hereafter; it being impoffible we ſhould
defire to continue eternally in a Courſe of
Action, which yielded us no manner of De-
light or Satisfaction at preſent.
Is it becauſe this Life is fhort, and its Plea-
fures tranſitory and fugitive, that we muſt en-
tertain a Difguſt of it? Or becauſe many of
the Objects of our good Affections are pe-
rishable, and capable of being ravifh'd from us,
or we divorced from them, muft we there-
fore grow uncafy with our Being, or betake
ourfelves to a dry joylefs Speculation of e-
very thing about us? This were a very weak
Conduct. He muſt be an odd kind of Man,
who could not reliſh an Entertainment, be-
cauſe he knew it was to have an end; and if
he gave his Hoft thanks at all, they must at
leaſt come from him with but an ill grace.
SUPPOSING We had neither Hopes nor
Promiſes of any future Happineſs in rever-
M2
fion
166 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
fion, but were immediately after the Diffo-
lution of our Bodies to drop into a State of
Non-exiſtence, I apprehend it would be the
Opinion of all reasonable, I am fure of all
generous Creatures, that they ought to ex-
preſs their higheſt Gratitude to their kind and
indulgent Creator, in whom they live, move,
and have their Being. But if we have con-
ceived little and low thoughts of that Sta-
tion in which he has placed us, how is it poffi-
ble we ſhould ever be grateful to him, for what
we are taught to efteem either as no Bleffing
at all, or at leaſt one we fhould be very wil-
ling to be rid of?
THERE is an infeparable Connection be-
twixt our Duty and our Happineſs in all Ca-
fes. For tho fometimes it may become a Du-
ty to facrifice a prefent Intereft or Enjoyment
for the fake of doing a good, a generous, a
beautiful Action; yet it is ftill to be fup-
poſed, that there is a greater Happineſs to
the Mind in making fuch a Sacrifice, than
there would be in acting any otherwiſe and
this ariſes from the ftrong Inftincts we have
to Actions of that fort; to act against which
Inſtincts would be doing greater Violence to
Nature, than it were to forgo any little pre-
fent Intereſt. Whoever therefore argues a-
gainſt this Life as a low undefirable State of
Being, takes out of it all Senfe of Duty and
Obligation, whofe firſt and trueft Original is
that great, that divine Pleaſure we take in
doing thoſe things which go under that Name,
I
All
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 167
All the other Enjoyments of Life are either
only fecondary, or fictitious. Of the for-
mer fort are Eating, Drinking, and other
animal Gratifications; and of the latter
Fame, Wealth, and Power, the Poffeffion
of which is no part of real Happineſs. So
that to fingle out thefe parts of human Life,
and then declaim againſt the Whole of it, is
not a juft nor philoſophical way of Reaſon-
ing. 'Tis juſt as if we fhould difpute the
Beauty of a Picture, by only regarding the
Shades of it, which, taken by themſelves,
have neither Beauty of Colour, nor Propor-
tion.
THE Contempt of the World, when tru-
ly explained, is no doubt a thing very right
and laudable; and to fortify Men in it, the
Proſpect of a happy Immortality the nobleſt
and moft powerful Motive that can be. But
while we are contending for a virtuous and
manly Principle, let us not, by a looſe or
vague way of ſpeaking, impreſs Men with No-
tions which have a natural tendency to de-
feat the End we propofe, by filling their
Minds with dark and gloomy Apprehenfions
of things, and giving them a Diſtaſte of Life,
and confequently a difhonourable and vitious
Negligence about the Concerns of it.
WHENEVER we ceafe to act, we ceafe to
live, at leaſt to live as becomes intelligent
and focial Beings. But what is there fhall
move us to act, when we imagine there is
nothing in Life worthy our Care? We muſt
M 4
in
168 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
NO
}
in that cafe become poor lumpiſh, melancholy
Creatures, incapable of performing our Duty
with that chearful and willing Mind which is
abfolutely neceffary to render it acceptable to
the Author of all Goodnefs, and the Fountain
of all Joy. Let Virtue creep into her Cell,
or retire to the Defart; let every honeſt
Heart wear a forrowful Countenance, and
the Aſpect of the Wife and Good become a
perpetual Map of Mortification: What would
be the Effect of fo bleſſed a Change? Would
this recommend Virtue to Mankind? Or
would it be an effectual Method to allure them
from the pleaſing Snares of Vice and Folly?
Sure far otherwiſe. And yet this, and this
alone can, confiftently with their Principles,
be the method with thoſe who are poffeffed
with an Opinion of there being nothing in
this World lovely or defirable. Where-
as, on the contrary, wife Men have in all
Ages made it the peculiar Excellency of
Virtue to promote our Welfare and Happi-
nefs here, and improved it as none of the
leaft Motives for Men to follow Wiſdom,
that even in this prefent Life, Her Ways are
Ways of Pleasantness, and all her Paths
are Peace.
I am, Sir,
Tour very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
N ZI
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 169
Νο
No 21.
Saturday, August 21, 1725.
To HIBERNICUS.
Conventus trahit in medios, turbamque fo-
nantem.
SIR,
VIR.
I
HAVE been often very much
furprized, that in the Courſe of
your weekly Correfpondence with
the Publick, you have taken fo
little notice of the Occurrences
of the Town, which afford abundance
more Matter for uſeful Speculation, than
many of thoſe dry Difcourfes you have with-
in theſe five Months paft tranfmitted to your
courteous Readers. I hope, you and they
continue ftill in good Terms; fince they muſt
be an ill-natur'd fort of People indeed, who
can be angry with a Man for putting them to
fleep.
WERE a Man of my Temper fettled in
the Province you have undertaken, the ma-
nagement of it would be very different from
what your's is. You muſt know, Sir, that I
am
170 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
am a paſſionate Admirer of a Croud, and am
never ſo eaſy, as when I am ſqueezing thro' a
great concourſe of People. I haunt all Pla-
ces of publick Refort, from Lucas's Coffee-
houſe to the Fish-Market; and breathe the
Air, or hearken to the Eloquence of either
Place with equal Satisfaction. My Face is
as well known upon Change, as any Mer-
chant's in Town, tho the chief thing I am
remarkable for, is my having no manner of
Buſineſs there. If a Fellow be going to be
hang'd, I'm fure to be in the number of his
Attendants, and think my felf obliged to be
preſent at his Execution, as well as his Trial.
In ſhort, I make one upon all publick Occa-
fions, and am by that means furniſh'd with
fuch a number of Obfervations upon all Con-
ditions and Degrees of Life, as, I am confi-
dent, would fupply your Papers with a great
Variety of the moſt uſeful and entertaining
Materials. And if you incourage my Cor-
refpondence, I fhall from time to time col-
lect my Adventures, and by your means com-
municate to the World the Progreſs I make in
the Peripatetick Philofophy.
IF the Publick fhall receive benefit from
my Labours of this fort, they will owe me
more than ordinary Thanks. For I can affure
you, not a few are the Inconveniences I un-
dergo, by reafon of this fame ambulatory
Humour of mine. Many a broken Head
have I got for Quarrels I had no manner of
hand in. I have loft more Handkerchiefs
than
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 171
than would ferve to fet up a Milliner. And
no longer ago than Thùriday, the twelfth of
this inftant, I had very near been over-ſet by
a Journeyman Taylor a riding the Franchifes
of this City, who from an over-great Con-
cern to preferve the Pofture of his Employ-
ment, gave his Horſe a good deal more ſpur
than the poor Creature found he had occafion
for, and thereby fet him full drive againſt me,
to the no ſmall detriment both of my Perfon
and Apparel.
NOT deterr'd however by this unfortunate
Accident, I continued a very eager and dili-
gent Spectator of this Triennial Proceffion of
our Worſhipful Corporations, till the fame
was brought to a Conclufion. And I am
humbly of opinion, that an Appearance of
this fort has fomething in it highly worthy
of the publick regard, and that the Memory
of it ought not to perish in the compaſs of a
Week or a Fortnight. I therefore prefume on
your good Nature, to make your Paper for
one Day a Repofitory for the Remarks I have
made on this Occafion.
I SHALL not accompany the Right Ho-
nourable our Lord Mayor thro' the feveral
Liberties of the City, nor take any notice of
the important Solemnity of flinging the Dart;
both becauſe of their being fo univerfally
known to all the Inhabitants of the City, and
that Sir James Ware, in his Annals of Ire-
land, has, in fome meaſure, communicated the
fame to the whole Nation, having very judi-
cioully
172 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
ciouſly deſcribed that Ceremony, and with
much Care and Erudition marked out all the
Places where our Magiftracy is entitled either
to hold Courts, or eat Custard. Nor is it
my intention to tire your Patience, with an
Account of any thing ufual and cuſtomary on
fuch Occafions, but only to hint at fome
new and fingular Phænomena which appear'd
upon this.
You know,Sir, that time out of mind Vul-
can has been receiv'd as the true and undoubt-
ed Patron of the Worfhipful Corporation of
Blacksmiths, and as fuch upon all publick
Ceremonies has conftantly appear'd at their
Head, equipt with a complete Suit of Armour,
and a maffy Basket-hilted Sword, terrible to
behold! Now this Figure has been fo very
tempting to their Fellow Citizens, that feve-
ral other Corporations, who ſeem to have no
manner of Intereſt in, or Relation to him,
have taken a Fancy to have a Vulcan at their
Head likewiſe. The Bookfellers, who, one
would think, were none of the moſt martially
inclined People, had not only their Vulcan,
but three or four armed Highlanders attend-
ing him, as if they intended to propagate
Learning by the Sword, and puſh Men into
the Depths of Science, as People drive Nails,
by knocking them on the Head.
THE Hofiers too have fallen into the fame
Impropriety. What Vulcan has to do with
Weaving of any fort, I muſt confeſs, I am
utterly at a lofs to diſcover, as well as what
there
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 173
there can be in a Suit of Armour any ways
typical of a pair of Stockings. The only
plaufible Reaſon I have hitherto heard urg❜d to
juſtify fo incongruous a Spectacle, is, that
their Vulcan perhaps might be intended for
an Alexander the Great, and ferve to put us
în mind, that a Loom-ſtocking, like the Gor-
dian Knot, is to be unravelled no otherwiſe
than by cutting. But whatever there may be
in that, it muſt be allowed, that the Reve-
rend Biſhop, and the Oxford Scholar, who
bore a Part in this Cavalcade, fignified fome-
thing very extraordinary, and important, tho
perhaps too myfterious to be communicated
to the profane Vulgar; and therefore I will
not preſume to give my Conjectures upon it,
unless I had the Confent of the Mafter and
Wardens of the Corporation for fo doing.
I Do not remember, that ever Venus
made her Appearance on any former Occa-
fions of this kind; ſo that her doing it now
will help to account for this great Superfeta-
tion of Vulcans, eſpecially if we confider,
that Mars is entitled to wear the fame Habit,
and has been always known for a conftant
Attendant and Retainer to her Ladyſhip.
WERE I as big with Tully and Seneca as
you pretend to be, I imagine I could ſqueeze
very fine Morals from fo copious a Subject.
To inftance in only one Particular, the Show
of the Coachmakers would afford a fair Hint
of the Vanity of Greatneſs; fince by placing
their Kettle-drums in a Machine drawn by
fix
174 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
fix Horſes, they broadly infinuate a Coach and
fix to be a juft and proper Emblem of Noiſe
and Emptiness.
But there yet arifes a more general, as
well as a more uſeful Reflection from a Sight
of this nature. A Croud of People inno-
cently gay and chearful, is to a Man who
loves his Fellow-Creatures, a very agreeable
Entertainment, however ludicrous either the
Occafions, or fome Circumftances of their af-
fembling may be, when examined by the
ftrict and rigid Rules of Reaſon. Joy and
Chearfulneſs have a natural diffuſive Effect;
and tho it is indeed an Infirmity in human
Nature, that fine Clothes and Equipage ſhould
excite a Pleaſure and Triumph of Heart, yet
it would be ſtill more unnatural for Men to
be fo moroſe as to defpife or ridicule the Sa-
tisfaction an honeft well-meaning Man may
fometimes find in a Trifle. Our Anceſtors,
and moſt other free Nations, thought it Wif
dom to raiſe the Spirits of the People with
frequent publick Shows and Proceffions.
They reckon'd it infpir'd them with a Notion
of Freedom, publick Spirit, and Contempt
of Danger, to give them now and then an
Opportunity of putting on their beſt Looks,
and making a handfom Appearance among
their Friends and Neighbours. And if I am
not miſinform'd, ſeveral of our greateſt Au-
thors have been of opinion, that nothing can
contribute more to the Prefervation of Liberty
in a free State, than training up the People to
the
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 175
the Exerciſe of Arms, and appointing ſtated
days of Mufter for all the Men between fix-
teen and fixty, within fuch and fuch Diſtricts;
agreeable to the antient Practice of thefe Na-
tions, of which we may ftill obſerve fome
faint Traces in our Court-Leets, and other
Affemblies of that kind.
THE Sound of a Trumpet, and the Beat of
a Drum, have a wonderful and inexpreffible
Effect on fome Men's Minds; and when ac-
companied with the other Circumſtances of
military Pomp, frequently raiſe a Gallantry
of Spirit in the moſt languid and flegmatick
Difpofitions. I cannot therefore help think-
ing, that giving the induſtrious and laborious
Part of our People one gaudy Day in three
Years, is very far from being either unreafo-
nable or ridiculous. A little Diverfion and
Relaxation from Buſineſs and the Cares of
Life, is neceffary to all Men; and fure none
have a jufter Claim to it, than thoſe who have
both the greateſt need of it, and are at the
fame time among the moſt valuable and uſeful
Members of the Society, which, without dif
pute, the Manufacturers are in all trading
Nations.
INSTEAD therefore of running down this
Cuſtom of my Fellow-Citizens, I could wish
it were more frequent, not only for the
Reaſons already given, but becauſe the comi-
cal Accidents and merry Appearances which
do, and unavoidably muft happen at fuch
times, afford a Fund of Diſcourſe, and inno-
cent
176 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
t
cent Raillery to the common People for a good
while after; not to mention, that the previ-
ous Managements and little Emulations among
the ſeveral incorporated Bodies, which of
them fhall diſtinguiſh themſelves in the beft
manner, leave very honeft Impreffions on
their Minds, and raife a commendable Zeal
for the Intereft of their respective Communi-
ties. The Love of our Country, tho one of
our worthieſt as well as moſt active Paffions,
very often owes its Original, or at leaſt is con-
fiderably ſtrengthen'd by Incidents and Cir-
cumſtances, ſeemingly as little and inconſe-
quential as theſe. On all theſe accounts, I
am hopeful neither you, nor your Readers
will take it amifs, that I have interrupted the
Courſe of your Reflections for one Day, by
handling a Subject that will not recur till three
Years hence.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
DEMOPHILUS.
t
No 22.
HIBERNICUS'S Letters. 177
N® 22•
Saturday, August 28, 1725.
TO HIBERNICUS.
Scribere juffit Amor.
OVID
SIR,
S
INCE it would be a Wrong to
your good Nature, and the
Zeal you have fhewn for the
publick Good, to think that any
thing which offer'd at its Ad-
vancement, were a trouble to you, I fhall
make no Apology for this Attempt, the De-
fign of it being to put you upon reforming
an Abuſe, which perhaps will be found the
Source of many of thofe Vices, which our
Age ſo juſtly complains of, and yet is ſo far
from being thought a Vice, that Illi errori
virtus nomen pofuiffet honeftum; I mean
the many and needlefs Delays and Ceremo-
nies which Cuſtom has impofed upon us in
Love-Affairs.
Love, Sir, you know has been call'd the
Source and Perfection of worldly Happineſs;
and I think the Paffion which we exprefs by
that Name, and which has Beauty for its
Vol. I.
Obiect
N
178 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Object, has a good right to this Encomium,
whether we confider it in itſelf, or in its Ef-
fects; as it is the moſt agreeable of all our
Paffions; as it is the Spring whence flow the
moſt tender Relations and Friendſhips of the
World, and the Link of Society itſelf: whence
it is plain how careful we ſhould be to cheriſh
ſo uſeful a Plant; and as it has been the
Care of every Age, to pluck up the obfcene
Weeds which ſpring with it and obftruct its
Growth, fo methinks we ſhould endeavour to
manure the Soil, left it fall among Stones and
periſh.
How much Love has been, is, and ever
will be the Bufinefs of Youth, every body
knows; but alas, how different in the Succefs
and Effects?
IN the first Ages of the World, and in
that Part of it which yet retains the primitive
Simplicity, Love was as little conceal'd as
Truth; it was honeſt, nor feared the Light;
the happy Pair no fooner conceiv'd a mutual
Flame, but they confeffed it, and join'd in
the common Buſineſs of Life, begetting Chil-
dren, who excited and affifted their Induſtry,
and were to their Country a prefent Pledge of
their Parents Loyalty, and a future Defenſe
and Ornament. But how much is the Caſe
alter'd with us! Our Youth are forc'd to ſpend
the best part of their Lives in fruitleſs Court-
fhips, to leave the Acquifition of Arts, Im-
provement of their Manners, and every rea-
ſonable Imployment; to run into all manner
of
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
179
of Vanity and Extravagance, and make them-
felves defpicable, to be approved by the Fair.
By this means our Fortunes are impaired, our
Talents uncultivated, or entirely immerged
in a Deluge of Vice, Folly, and Impertinence;
and we are often forc'd to fly from the
Cruelty of the infulting Angel, to the per-
nicious Fondneſs of the fawning Devil: fo
that if we at laft fucceed in our Amour, we
only join a rotten to a wither'd Carcafe, and
the Buſineſs of our Lives is to jar about thoſe
ill Habits we have both acquir'd, and breed
Children (if we have any) full of hereditary
Infirmities, to grow up to the fame Courſe
of Folly and Mifery.
THIS, tho a general and mighty Evil, is
fubmitted to as paft Redreſs; 'tis (fay we)
the Effect of a Pride natural to the Fair Sex,
and natural Diſeaſes ſeldom admit a Cure.
But I believe we do in this, as in many other
things, lay a Fault upon Nature, which is
none of hers.
FOR if their Vanity of being admired be ſo
prevalent, that it makes them forego every
Pleaſure, tho ever fo
great, that may leffen
our Devotion to them; methinks this very
Vanity ſhould make them dread the Curfe of
approaching Wrinkles, and fly for fhelter to
the Arms of Matrimony. But alas! Sir,
they have another Refuge, and 'tis from this
I would rout them; but, Hic Labor: for
tho every Man of Senſe muſt defpife a Crea-
ture, that has tyrannically wafted thofe
N
Charms
180 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Charms which might have made herſelf and
Mankind happy, to be under the wretched
Neceffity of fupplying the Decays of Nature
by Art; tho no Man would figh for a Picture,
who could enjoy the Original, yet there are
a Sort of Creatures call'd BEAUX, who
value Beauty as they do themfelves, and every
thing elſe, for no earthly Thing but to look
at. Theſe indeed are their Admirers; for who
that could not fmell, but would prefer an arti-
ficial to a natural Rofe? and it is with their
Admiration that the Ladies are pleaſed. And
if Paint, Waſhes and Jewels, can gain them
their Approbation, they are fatisfy'd. This
is the true Reaſon why Merit and Love are
fo little regarded, and ill requited by the Fair
Sex. And 'tis this vain Hope of being al-
ways young, always admired, that makes fo
many of the moſt tender and compaſſionate
Sex, the greateſt Tyrants: to rectify which
Miſtake, and prevent the ill Effects of it, it
may be worth'
your Care, to put this deceit-
ful Beauty in its proper Light; to which pur-
poſe I ſend you the following Lines, which
being written upon a particular Occafion, and
not for this Purpoſe, I can only hope they
may roufe fome proper Genius to fo uſeful a
Work, as ridiculing an Impofition which has
ſo bad Confequences.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
T. B.
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 181
量
​AURELIA.
WHILE winking Tapers fcreen the
Cheat,
And Darkness favours the Deceit,
Aurelia in a borrow'd Prime,
Conceals the fad Effects of Time.
STIFF in Brocade with Brilliants
bound,
Secure ſhe takes her nightly Round;
At Caftle, Drawing-Room, and Play,
Each fighing Coxcomb owns her Sway :
And the alas as vainly proud,
The Wish and Wonder of the Croud,
Looks from her Height with proud Difdain,
Upon the Slaves that drag her Chain.
BUT ah fad Change! behold at Morn
Aurelia to her Cell return!
THEN fee her penſive, fad, alone!
Behold her weep, and hear her moan!
"Alas! nor artful white and red,
""
Rich Dress, nor Brilliants, nor Brocade,
Can from a watchful Lover's Eyes
The Signs of withering Age diſguiſe.
AT Night a Cupid's Torch fhe burns,
A dying Snuff when Day returns.
SO when the Moon with borrow'd Light,
Affumes the Empire of the Night,
Thro' the pale Gloom in folemn Show
She glides, and gilds the World below;
N
Her
182
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Her filver Orb and ſtarry Train
Th' admiring Gazers Eye detain ;
But fickning at th' Approach of Day,
The gilded Wonder dies away.
N° 23.
Saturday, September 4, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Pax fervientibus gravior eft, quam liberis
Bellum.
SIR,
TAC.
T
HE melancholy Accounts we
have lately had from France, of
the Mifery to which the Inhabi-
tants of ſeveral Provinces in that
rich and powerful Kingdom have
been reduced, by the Want of Bread, at the
fame time that they justly call for our Pity
and Commiferation of the Calamities of our
Neighbours and Fellow-Mortals, may afford
feveral very uſeful Reflections to all who
have the Happineſs to live in a Land of
Liberty, and very proper to infpire the Hearts
of the Free-born with the higheſt Senſe of
Joy and Gratitude.
IF
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 185
If we conſider the Kingdom of France
with regard to its natural Advantages, we
muft own it the nobleft, the fineſt, the moſt
flouriſhing Country in Europe, if not in the
whole World. Its Dominions are great and
entire, comprehending three hundred thou-
fand fquare Miles of rich and fruitful Soil,
fituated in a moft kindly and temperate Cli-
mate. Wine and Oil, Corn and Fruits of all
kinds, are here to be met with in the greateſt
Plenty and Perfection. Two fides of this
lovely Track of Ground are waſhed by our
Ocean, and the Mediterranean, which, by
means of ſeveral large and noble Rivers, di-
fpenfe the Benefits of Navigation and Com-
merce to the moſt inland Provinces of the
Kingdom. And to make this Bounty of Na-
ture ſtill more confpicuous, and more effectual
too, the Inhabitants want neither Vigor nor
Ingenuity for improving whatever Advan-
tages they enjoy, ſo as to make Life caſy
and comfortable.
By this Account, one would expect the
French Nation fhould be the happieſt and
richeſt People in the Univerſe. But in fact it
is far otherwife. For without inquiring mi-
nutely into the State of the Burghers and
Peafantry in the feveral Towns and Provin-
ces, we have this plain Evidence of the
Hardſhips the Commonalty there lie under,
that within theſe laſt thirty Years they
have been reduced three or four times to
the loweſt degree of Want and Mifery by
Famine;
N 4
184 HIBERNICUS's Letters,
Famine; while fome of their Neighbours, a
great deal lefs indulg'd by Nature, have
enjoyed Fulness of Bread in much Peace and
Security.
THE Only Reaſon which can be affigned
for this great Difference, ariſes from the Frame
and Conſtitution of their Government. Where
People have not Liberty, they have no Heart
to provide for Futurity, and lay up Store for
Days of Joy and Pleaſure to come. Well
knowing their Property to be precarious, and
that the Fruits of their Induſtry may be
raviſhed from them the next Moment, they
take no care for any thing but the preſent
Exigence, and manure no more Ground than
what they apprehend ſufficient to ſupply that,
So that one unfavourable Seafon infallibly
brings Penury and Want on all the middling
fort of People in France, whofe whole Stock
confifts in what they have fow'd for that
Year, which, to be fure, is no more than
what will ferve to make them drag on
Life till the next. The Poet's Advice is the
Rule of their Conduct; they live to-day,
not fo much becauſe there is a probability,
thro' the common Accidents which all Things
are fubject to, of to-morrow being crofs and
unfriendly to them, as that there is a certain-
ty that their Labour will be in vain, when,
ever it produces more than they can imme-
diately confume themſelves. The making a
comfortable Provifion for Pofterity is the
great Spur to human Induſtry: but that can
have
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 185
have no place under a Government, where
the Breath of a Tyrant diſpoſes both of
Mens Lives and their Properties, and no
Man can call any thing his own any longer
than it is the Will of the Prince to permit it.
THEY who have travell'd into Italy,
and given us Accounts of that Country, fur-
nish us with abundant Proofs of the Truth
of what I am afferting. The richeſt and
moſt fertile Parts of that Region have fallen
to the Share of arbitrary Princes; and in
the midſt of all the Advantages of Nature,
give an Idea of nothing but Horror and
Defolation, thro' the Difcouragements and
Oppreffion the poor People labour under.
Here and there indeed the Palace of a Prince,
or rich Cardinal, makes a noble Appearance;
and the beautiful and luxurious Gardens be-
longing to them, fhew to what a Height
thofe Territories might be improved, were
Induſtry duly .fupported, and fecured in the
poffeffion of its Gains. But look on the
Country in general, and it wears no other Face
but of Poverty and Mifery. On the other
hand, the barren Mountains of Switzerland,
which feem only a Load and an Encumbrance
to the Earth, which are covered with per-
petual Snows, and ſubject to the moſt fud-
den Viciffitudes of violent Heats and Colds,
are yet crouded with Inhabitants, who by
the mere Force of Care and Art have made
the rugged Rocks not only fafe but com-
modious Dwellings; where Peace and Plenty
fmile
186 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
fmile amidſt the miſhapen Fractures of Na-
ture, and the hideous Precipice blooms with
the Effects of an honeſt Induſtry, and the
Trophies of a glorious and happy Liberty.
I KNOW, the Patrons and Advocates of
arbitrary Power, to foften fomething of the
frighful Aſpect it carries to a manly and
generous Difpofition, will tell us that Things
are not fo bad under abfolute Governments
as has been here reprefented: That tho in-
deed the Will of the Prince is the fole Law
of the Society, yet that is never exerciſed in
fuch a manner as to render the Property of
the Subject entirely precarious: That no
Man has his Poffeffions taken from him, but
in confequence of his having violated fome
precedent Law, fufficiently publiſhed to him,
and the Penalty whereof he might there-
fore have timely avoided: And that for
the reft, the Judges of the Land being
fworn to adminiſter impartial Juſtice betwixt
Man and Man, the People have all the Secu-
rity for their Properties and Eftates that they
poffibly can have under a free and limited
Government; feeing in all Societies the
Power of the Legiſlature is the fame, to wit,
fupreme and uncontroulable.
THIS however is all a Flourish, to fay
no worse of it. For it is the fame thing
whether a Prince has the Power of refuming,
and transferring the Eſtates of his People at
Pleaſure, or of laying them under fuch hea-
vy Burdens and Taxes as will make them
entirely
*
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 187
entirely unprofitable, if not ruinous to their
Owners. And that this is the Cafe in moſt
of the abfolute Governments which have
ever been in the World, he muſt be a great
Stranger to the Affairs of Mankind who
can make any manner of queſtion. In De-
bates of this kind there is no arguing againſt
Matter of Fact. In fome of our neighbour-
ing Nations, there are Multitudes who would
reckon it a fingular Mercy to have their
Eſtates taken off their hands at two Years
Purchaſe; as in fome others it has been
known where People have expreſſed their
Joy at being eaſed of their Poffeffions, with-
out any other Confideration than the Free-
dom they thereby enjoyed from the immo-
derate Exactions, and many aking Hearts
they endured by keeping of them. For the
Truth of which, I might appeal to a late
noble Author* of our own Nation, whoſe
Memory will be ever dear to all who love
Liberty, their Country, or Mankind. And
I think I may venture to affirm, that even
at preſent, in a Time of profound Peace
and Tranquillity over all Europe, many of
our Neighbours pay greater Sums to fupport
their own Slavery and Mifery, than ever the
British Nations have done in the Defenſe of
their Liberty and Property, during the long
and expenſive Wars they have maintain'd
fince the late HAPPY REVOLUȚION.
* See the Account of Denmark, written by Robert Lord
Viscount Molefworth.
CON-
188 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
CONSIDERATIONS of this fort fhould
ferve to keep awake and active in us the
true Principles and Love of Liberty; a
Bleffing which, like thofe of Air and Water,
thro' its Commonnefs, becomes frequently
neglected and unattended to, tho one Day's
Loſs or Privation of it would quickly make
us fenfible of its Value and Importance.
God be praiſed, the Calamities of our
Neighbours are the only Means we have
at preſent of coming to a right knowledge
of what we muft undergo the Day we fuf-
fer this inestimable Jewel to be torn from
us; and that is the Uſe which ought to be
made of them. For ruined Conftitutions,
like dead Bodies, may not only be uſeful to
fhew the Cauſes of their own Decay, but
to prevent the like Diſorders in the Sur-
vivors; and for that Reaſon it is the Intereſt
and Duty of every Free-man now and then
to rip up the Carcafe of abfolute Govern-
ment, let it finell as ftrong as it will. To
make frequent Compariſons betwixt our
own Happineſs and others Mifery, is the
only way to make us tenacious of our
juſt Rights and Privileges. This is neceſſary
at all times, eſpecially among a People,
where there yet remain fome (very few I
hope) fo unhappily deluded as to look back
upon Bondage with an Eye of Pleaſure, or
at leaſt Indifference; and to with one for
their Governor, who claims to be their
Tyrant
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 189
Tyrant by a divine indefeaſible Right, and
whoſe Pretences are founded on Principles
deſtructive of the Freedom and Happineſs of
all Society whatever.
The
Ir is a great Misfortune to a People, to
become cold and dead to the Advantages
of Freedom. The next Step will very pro-
bably be the patient Refignation of it, and
the Happineſs of their Pofterity too, into
the first bold or artful Hand which ſhall be
ftretch'd out for that purpoſe. We know
Nations in the World who feem to have
loft the very Idea of Liberty, and hug
their Chains with as great eagerness as others
would ſtruggle to get out of them.
Glory of the Monarchy, the Grandeur of the
Prince, and two or three other vile infig-
nificant Words, fupply them with fo many
Charms, to lull them into a perpetual In-
dolence and Stupidity. Nor are thefe Di-
ftempers peculiar to the ignorant Vulgar,
and the poor unthinking Populace. Even
the fine and free Spirit of Mr. Bayle, tho
affifted with as great a Variety of Learning
as perhaps ever was crouded into one Head,
could not free itſelf from the Prejudices of
a confined and fervile Education, nor hin-
der him from calling a learned † Civilian, an
ignorant Lawyer, and a bad Frenchman,
for his Impudence in proving to a Demon-
ftration that his Country and all Europe
† Hottoman, Author of the Francogallia.
were
190 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
were once in poffeffion of a free and legal
Conſtitution. All which, I hope, will be
a fufficient Apology for my employing one
Paper in reminding my Fellow-Subjects of
their own Felicity; fince where the Spirit
of Liberty yet lives, it is very eaſy to be
fet in motion, but can never be revived,
where it has been once fuppreffed, without
a Miracle.
BUT befides the Diſtreffes of our Neigh-
bours, it will be of ufe to us to reflect on
the Difficulties and Dangers our Anceſtors
have overcome, in tranfmitting to us the
excellent Conſtitution we now enjoy. Many
have been the Attempts made upon it, which
our Enemies have not a more effectual way
of renewing, than by poffeffing weak and
unwary People with a Notion, that the ill
Defigns our Anceſtors oppofed were falfe
and imaginary. Great Endeavours have been
uſed to palliate the arbitrary Proceedings of
former Times, and ridicule the neceffary
Means of our Deliverance from them. But
it is to be hoped, no Artifices of that fort
will ever have an Influence hereafter upon
People of common Senfe and Reflection,
eſpecially after having had fo full a View
both of our Danger and of our Eſcape, as is
fet before us in a late incomparable Hiſtory,
which for its noble Impartiality and Since-
rity never was equalled but by Polybius,
and Philip de Comines. A Hiftory, which
has
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
has received the beſt Teſtimony of its
Worth from the Mouth of its Enemies,
by giving equal Offenſe to the Bigotted
and Intereſted of all Parties, Sects, and
Denominations amongſt us: A Hiſtory,
which does Honour to the Language it is
writ in, and will for ever make the Name
of BURNET facred and venerable to all
who prefer an Empire of Reafon and Laws,
to that of blind Paffion and unbridled Will
and Pleafure.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
No 24·
192 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
N° 24. Saturday, September 11, 1725.
To HIBERNICUS.
Non omnes arbusta juvant, humilefque
myrica.
SIR,
T
VIR.
HO the Burleſquing Humour,
which has fo much prevailed.
among us, were enough to de-
ter any Man from communicating
his Labours to the Publick; there
is another as prevalent, and fo much more
dangerous to a tolerable Writer, as the Le-
vity or Indiſcretion of its Abettors, is more
hurtful to a good Cauſe, than the Strength or
Policy of its Adverſaries; I mean the Imita-
ting.
How vexatious thoſe Imitators (who by
their bad Draughts render the beſt Originals
ridiculous, and like the Devil labour to de-
ſtroy what they love) have always been to
good Writers, I need not tell you, who, I
believe, are no stranger to their miſtaken
Kindneſs.
BUT
#
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 193)
But above all others, the Writers of Pa-
ſtoral Poetry ſeem moft obnoxious to this
Fate; the feeming Eafinefs of the Subject,
and the Agreeablenefs of its Images to the
Condition of Love, have render'd it the
Theme of every Scribler: infomuch, that
Damon never fighs or weeps, but the Ze-
phyrs and Fountains fympathize in his Sor-
row; and no fooner is he to be blefs'd with
the Poffeffion of his Fair-one, but fome ſha-
dy Grove is made the Scene of his leud Ima-
gination; in vain fhould Diana ftrive to pro-
tect her Virgin Attendants, and chafte Re-
treats, from the Pollution of his vigorous
Fancy.
IN oppofition to this Folly, a Friend of
mine writ the following Poem, (fince the
Perufal of which, I have as induſtriouſly a-
voided Groves, Meadows, and Fountains, as
if our Hibernian Retreats were full of Snakes
and Adders) and which, in hopes it may have
the fame Effect upon my fimilizing Brethren,
I fend you, to be, by your Favour, publiſh'd
in the Journal.
I am, Sir,
'
Your very humble Servant.
Vol.I.
Domov
194 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Damon, a City Eclogue; written to a Gen--
tleman in the Country.
WH
HEN now the Stars began to hide their Heads,
And leud Debauchees fought polluted Beds ;
When nodding Watchmen left their tireſome Poft,
And noiſy Pomp in peaceful Sleep was loſt ;
Damon, a hapless Youth whom Reauty fir'd,
And facred Friendship's brighter Flame infpir'd,
In mournful Lays bewail'd his abfent Fair,
And for his Friend confefs'd an equal Care ;
While from the neighbouring Street, in fhriller Cries,
To his fad Song a Chimney-Sweep replies,
The Chimney-fweep in fable Pomp array'd,
As if, like him, he mourn'd the abfent Maid.
While thus the Youth Now Sol reftores the Day,
And gilded Signs reflect the Orient Ray ;
But ah! to me the rifing Sun Supplies
No Light, in abfence of my Cælia's Eyes :
Thofe Sparkling Eyes that did outfbine by far:
The radiant Diamonds pendant in her Ear,
Spend all their Fire unfeen and unadmir'd,
In Country Wastes and lonely Vales retir'd;
While all deſpairing, comfortleſs. I lie,
Can tafte no Pleaſure, and can find no Joy.
No more, returning from the gaudy Court,
Blefs'd with her Sight, the Tavern 1 refort;
To meditate the Lightning of her Eye,
Or quench the Flame in generous Burgundy.
For fince she's fled, alas! what Toaft can join
Life, Warmth, and Luftre, to the flatten'd Wine?
NO fashionable Drefs can charm my Sight,
Nor Mufick, ev'n Dubourg's, my Ear invite ;
O
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 195
O mourn Dubourg! no more the crouded Houſe
Shall fill thy Purſe, and all thy Mufick roufe:
She's gone, fhe whom alone we flock'd to fee,
Intent on Love, and deaf to Harmony:
She's gone
and now coquetting Phyllis fhines,
Like Phœbe when the golden Sun declines.
Let Cynthia now a thouſand Captives bring,
And Chloe boaft her Conquests at the Ring;
Since fhe, who from contending Beauties won
Each Lover's Heart, is now for ever gone.
She's gone
oh dreadful Sound! ob Tale full fore!
Rather were Cities, Courts, and Plays no more!
Rather the Green, the Park, the Strand were fled,
And courtly Vifits evermore unpaid.
For what are Courts or Plays when she's not there?
The Green, the Park, the Strand, increase our Care,
The fad Remembrance of what once they were.
O Cælia, cruel Calia, thus to leave
A thouſand Sprightly Beaux to figh and grieve;
To fly from wretched Damon, most unkind!
Nor leave one flender Proof of Love behind!
BUT ah unhappy Damon! witlefs Swain!
In vain you love, unpity'd you complain :
Some happier Youth, fome Beau of matchless Size,
With active Gambol charm'd her wondring Eyes ;
With Smart Ramillia-Wig her Heart he gain'd,
And val'rous Tales of faucy Porters can'd.
To him her parting Kiffes did belong,
To him the fofteft. Accents of her Tongue;
To him the nicely-furling Fan fhe gave,
And he, perhaps, (uh happy Fp) has Leave,
In witless Lines fuch Lines become a Beau)
To write what's what, and tell her who loves who
мла
CURS'D be his Charms! and curs'd the fatal Plains
That from my longing Eyes my Love detains!
Q 2
ނ
Curs❜d
196 HIBERNICU S's Letters.
Curs'd be the Fields-but ah where e'er fhe goes,
Let Pomps arife, and croud the Scene with Beaux!
May ev'ry Cart a gilded Chariot ſeem!
And Plays, and Balls, in her pleas'd Fancy fwim:
From Cans uncouth let ſhapely Tea-Pots riſe,
And ev'ry Hound be chang'd to * Thavy's Size.
But ah! return, return, relenting Fair,
Be touch'd with Pity, hear a Lover's Pray'r !
Then fhall proud Chloe quit her high Difdain,
And Phyllis ogle from the Box in vain.
For thee the fighing Swains ſhall Altars raiſe,
For thee malicious Poets learn to praiſe;
A thouſand pleafing Secrets fhalt thou hear,
A thouſand Whispers croud into thy Ear.
O hadst thou known what horrid things are ſaid
of Chloris, and what naughty Tricks were play'd;
You'd furely come--but if in vain we fue,
If we no more thoſe heav'nly Charms ſhall view,
Damon must bid the empty World adieu.
Thus fung the Swain.To Friendship next he turn'd
His tuneful Voice, and abfent Thyrfis mourn'd.
BUT now the bufy Town from Slumber roſe,
And various Tasks a various Noife compofe ;
Exclaiming Duns attend the great Man's Door,
And watchful Bailiffs terrify the Poor:
Here lab'ring Hacknies trudge for doubtful Pay,
While roaring Bullies fwear their Bread away ;
Unheeded Bells in empty Churches rung,
While gaping Multitudes attentive hung
Upon the Ballad-fingers tuneful Tongue.
The growing Murmur drown'd the Shepherd's Song;
Elfe might his Numbers be as much too long,
Too tedious, and too troublefome to thee,
As my dear Thyrfis' Abfence is to me
*
The Lady's Lap-Dog,
M
}
N® 25.
J
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 197
N° 25. Saturday, September 18, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Plus fcire velle quam fit fatis, intemperan-
tia genus eft. Quid, quod ifta liberalium
artium confectatio, moleftos, verbofos, in-
tempeftivos, fibi placentes facit, & ideo
non difcentes neceffaria, quia fupervacua
didicerunt.
SIR,
C
SEN.
URIOSITY being a Principle ſo
cloſely interwoven into the Frame
of human Nature, and fo very ne-
ceſſary to make us fit for the per-
formance of focial Duties, as well as for
our own private Entertainment and Diverfion,
it is no wonder, that this, like all other Paf-
fions, is ſometimes over eagerly purſued; and
by running out in chafe of too many Ob-
jects, defeats the main End for which it was
implanted. Our beſt Affections need the Re-
ftraint and Direction of Reafon; and we are
never more apt to make falfe Steps in Life,
than when we are acted by very commenda-
ble Motives, but which are at the fame time
•
fa
198
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
fo ſtrong as to hinder us from reflecting whi-
ther we are going, and which is the proper
Point where we ought to terminate our Views,
If this were not fo, there would be no necef-
fity for the Faculty of Reaſoning at all; fince
if Good-will, Pity, Humanity, Generofity,
or any other honeft and virtuous Principle,
did, or could conftantly and regularly aim at
one certain Mark, and produce all thofe ex-
cellent Effects, which under the government
and by the affiftance of Reaſon they do, it
were fufficient to leave us to their Impulſes
alone, without adding to them another Force,
directing us in what Circumftances, and un-
der what Limitations we ought to obey
them.
THE Neceffity of this governing Principle
appears no where more evident, than in the
Cafe I juft now mention'd of Curiofity, or the
Defire of Knowledge. This is a Paffion na-
tural to all Men, tho to fome in an infinitely
greater degree. And the Reaſon for its being
fo is very obvious, in regard the knowledge
of Things is abfolutely neceffary for ſupply-
ing us with the proper Means both of private
and publick Happineſs; befides, that it opens
to the Mind a very large Scene of preſent
Pleaſure, and renders a Man an eafy and a-
greeable Companion to himſelf in the Inter-
vals from Buſineſs and Converſation. Con-
fider'd therefore in this Light, a´ reaſonable
Creature cannot but look on the Search after
Knowledge as a very proper and becoming
Employ
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 199
Employment of its Faculties. Yet ftill, as
all Mens Actions ought to terminate in ſome
honeſt and good End; and as the honeſteſt
and beft End we can propofe, is the univerfal
Welfare of Mankind; fo in our Search after
Knowledge, we ought to conduct ourselves
in fuch a manner, as that our Labour may not
be in vain, and our Inquiries degenerate into
mere Self-amuſements, and an idle Luxury of
Speculation, inſtead of producing ſomething
of general Ufe and Advantage.
THE Offenders againft this Rule may be
properly ranged into two Claffes. The first
confifts of thoſe who employ themſelves in
noble and uſeful Inquiries, but at the fame
time are ſo wrapt up in them, that they never
think of any thing elfe. They are ſo devoted
to their Studies, that they quite forget the
End and Deſign of them, and let Life, which
ought chiefly to be run out in Action, evapo-
rate away in Contemplation. It is their bufi-
nefs to ſtore their Minds with the beſt and
trueft Maxims, without ever practiſing one of
them; and like Mifers, to lay in great Riches,
which they have not heart enough to expend.
With fuch People, Learning is no more than
a beautiful Picture; it ferves them for Pleaſure
and Ornament, but is, to all other Intents
and Purpoſes, a Piece of ufelefs Furniture,
and which only hinders the Canvafs it is drawn
on from becoming a much more neceffary
Member of Houfhold-ſtuff.
0 4
THE
200
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
THE Second, and indeed moſt pernicious
Clafs of learned Criminals, are thoſe very
curious Perſons, who think they never can
have enough of Knowledge, and fo are for
making every thing in Nature an Object of it,
however uſeleſs or infignificant to any Pur-
pofe in Life. Their Concern is only to know
how, and what Things are, and not know
how, or what they are good for. And hence,
inſtead of ſtudying how they may beſt pro-
mote their own, or the publick Happineſs,
they spend their whole Lives in the Chaſe of
fome childish Trifles, or in difcuffing certain
knotty and whimſical Difficulties which arife in
the more abſtract Parts of Learning; an eager
Fondness for which, has in all Ages, not on-
ly had an ill Influence on Mens Tempers and
Manners, but frequently produced very ter-
rible Confequences in Affairs of the greateſt
Importance to Mankind.
It is obvious, that the Difference betwixt
thefe two forts of Perfons lies in this, that
the former employ their time to no purpoſe,
the latter to an ill one. In the one Cafe, the
Error may ariſe from an Exceſs of a very com-
mendable Quality, there being a very great
Charm in Contemplation to People of an eafy
and peaceable Difpofition; the other feems
to be the Effect of a querulous and reſtleſs
Temper of Mind, which, if not diverted by
fuch intellectual Amufements, would break
out in fomething elſe more immediately mif-
chievous to Society. The one content them-
felves
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
201
felves with being inoffenfive, while they
might become ufeful; and the other make
themſelves uſeleſs by the Pleaſure they take
in being offenfive. In fhort, the one will be
at no pains to do the Good they know; and
the others are indefatigable to render them-
felves incapable of doing any at all.
THAT the latter Part of this Contraſt
truly belongs to fome Members of the Com-
monwealth of Letters, whoever has but a to-
lerable acquaintance with what we hear very
frequently called folid and deep Learning,
will, I believe, readily own. We are not fa-
tisfied with knowing the Meaſures of our Du-
ty, the Boundaries of Right and Wrong, the
Nature and Hiſtory of Mankind, and a gene-
ral Sketch of the great Works of God in the
Univerfe; tho thefe, perhaps, are the only
things which fall within the Compaſs of the
human Underſtanding; but we muſt perplex
ourſelves, and the World about us, with
Queſtions about certain Beings and their Qua-
lities, which either never had
any Exiſtence
at all, or only in our Ideas, and fome meta-
phorical Forms of fpeaking, which, for want
of Ideas, we are fometimes obliged to make
ufe of. Under the pretence of clearing the
way to Truth, and talking more exactly and
diſtinctly about it, we have only made it
more puzzling and intricate than ever. And
to make this ſtill the greater Farce, in fome of
our Inquiries, the only point pretended to be
hewn, is, that we are not capable of arriving
at
202
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
at a clear and diftinct knowledge of Matters
fo very fublime and tranfcendent. Thus we
are to ſtudy, only in order to prove ourſelves
ignorant. For that, I think, has been the
fole Iffue of all thofe numerous Controverfies
about Freedom and Neceffity, Space and Du-
ration, and fuch like Subjects, which of late,
as well as in former Ages, have been argued
with fuch fervor of Difpute, and folemnity
of Gibberish.
IT were well however, if after all this La-
bour to diſcover our own Ignorance, it produ-
ced a fuitable Effect, in making us more modeſt,
and lefs dogmatical. But alas! the Cafe is
much otherwife; and we have the Impudence
to argue to the Death any favourite No-
tion, at the fame time that we contend for
Freedom of Thought, and cry out againſt o-
thers for being too pofitive and obftinate in
maintenance of their Opinions.
THIS is, and muft always be the Cafe,
when Men do not ſtudy in order to make
themſelves ferviceable to the World, but
merely from a Luft of knowing a great deal.
The Nicenefs and Difficulty of a Subject, not
the Uſefulneſs of it, is their only Motive to
become acquainted with it. And hence, in-
ftead of purſuing manly and worthy Inquiries,
they loſe themſelves in a Maze of empty
Notions and idle, Speculations. Something
of this we may fee in all the Parts of Learn-
ing. How has the Reafon of Mankind been
played with, and impofed upon with the
Sophi-
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 203
Sophiſtries of Logick, and the Subtilties of
the Metaphyficks; and human Nature affron-
ted with a Jargon of uncouth Terms, and
unintelligible Diftinctions? And what is more
ufual than to hear an impertinent Sciolift tri-
umph over an honeſt Man of plain good Senſe,
for not defining his Terms according to Art;
tho at the fame time he reafons as justly and
truly upon them as the Witling himſelf, or the
Pedant who trained him up in the Science of
Ill-breeding and Wrangling?
IN Natural Philofophy, and the Mathe-
maticks, we ſee the fame Humour of trifling-
carried on to a moft prodigious and unaccoun-
table Extravagance. We muſt ſee Nature for-
footh to its inmoft Receffes, and reduce e-
very thing to its firft Elements. We had ra-
ther fee the uneven Surface and coarſe Grain
of fome finall uſeleſs Particle of Matter thro'
a Microſcope, than with the Eyes which God
has given us furvey the Grandure and beauti-
ful Arrangement of the feveral Parts of that
magnificent Theatre on which he has placed
us; tho this latter Profpect is both much more
pleafing to the Imagination, and affords the
Underſtanding a vaſtly larger Field for reflect-
ing on the Power, Wiſdom, and Goodneſs of
the Almighty Architect. Many a poor con-
temptible Infect perceives Objects very dif
tinctly, which the famous Leuwenhoek was
never able to difcover with all his Glaffes.
The poor Infect is robb'd of its little Life,
whenever either our Curiofity or Wanton-
nefs
اراتية
204 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
nefs requires; and the wondrous Dutchman
is celebrated as a mighty Pillar of the Com-
monwealth of Learning. It is almoſt a pity,
that Souls of that Make were not lodged in
the Reptil Forms they are fo converfant with,
that they might behold the Arcana Natura
with greater Exactneſs, and perhaps in due
time be regiſtered by fome future Albin in the
lafting Records of a Copper-plate, with their
Effigies curiouſly engraven and blazoned, not
omitting the precious Bramble they delighted
to crawl on, together with a learned and phi-
loſophical Account of the feveral Transfor-
mations they have undergone, from their firſt
animating the unfightly Figure of a Maggot,
till their Acceffion to the Rank and Dignity
of a Butterfly.
How our Mathematicians employ their
Time, themſelves know beft. The uſeful
Diſcoveries they have thought fit to commu-
nicate to the World of late Years, have been
but few. And if feveral of thèm may be be-
lieved, their Studies are grown too fine and
fubtle, to carry with them all that Evidence
and Certainty they once fo much boafted.
It is indeed to be feared, that they make no
great Progrefs at prefent in valuable Know-
ledge, fince tho Books on that Science were
never more numerous than now, yet we ſee
fo very little done by them any way benefi-
cial to the Publick. And I think, it cannot
be denied, that ſeveral of their Labours, which
have made no fmall Noife among the Virtuoft,
have
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 205
have been very mean and infignificant. Fa-
ther Malebranch, tho none of the moſt jocu-
lar Writers, has given us a very merry In-
ſtance of this in an eminent English Author,
who thought fit to write a profound elaborate
Treatife on a Subject any Boy of eight Years
old, of moderate Parts, might be made Maf-
ter of in an Afternoon or two; and I fanfy,
it would be no hard matter for a Perfon of
any reading in that kind of Books, to furniſh
out a good many more.
I AM forry to obferve it, but yet it is a
Truth, that this Curiofity both of Thought
and Expreffion has crept too much even into
our Writings on Morality, where every thing
ought to be as plain, and as little perplexed
as poffible. The Caufes hereof are the fame
as in the other Parts of Learning, an immo-
derate Affectation of knowing much, and an
Ambition of diſtinguiſhing ourſelves as Men
of clofe Thinking, and great Penetration.
With this View we have brought in a great
many technical Forms of ſpeaking about the
commoneft and moft obvious Duties in Life;
and put a great number of difficult Cafes,
which never did, and probably never will
happen, the Solution of which can be of no
Importance, while they are diftant, but would
be very eafy to an honeft well-difpofed Mind,
whenever it ſhould find itſelf in fuch Circum-
ftances. For the generous and kind Inſtincts
which Nature has planted in us, are a much
furer and better Guide to us than long and
fine-
મ
206 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
fine-ſpun Deductions from the Nature and Re-
lations of Things; and with this Advantage
too, that they lend us their Aid and Direc
tion in the moſt critical and unforeſeen Con-
junctures, when deliberate Reaſon and Coun-
fel have not time enough to repair to our Af-
fiftance.
To what has been urged, I know it will
be objected, that it is impoffible to come at
the right knowledge of our Duty, without
a very
ftrict and nice Examination both into
the Nature of things in general, and of Man-
kind in particular; and that we ſee much
more of the Beauty and Harmony of the
Univerſe by making a very careful and narrow
Search into all the Objects of Knowledge.
This is in part only true. For certain it is,
that the great and Fundamental Laws of
NATURE are obvious to all Men who have
the leaſt degree of Reflection; and if it were
not fo, they would not be equally binding in
all Times and Places. And for the Beauty
and Harmony of the Univerfe, I am confi-
dent, we fee more of it when we look on it
in the general Landskip, than when we take
the nice and diſtinct furvey of its Parts, which
we have not length of days enough to go en-
tirely thro' with. It is with our Underſtand-
ings, as in Opticks; very clear and diſtinct
Views of fingle Objects deprive us of the
Pleaſure of contemplating the Whole, and the
beautiful Proportion and Difpofition of its
feveral Parts. A cloſe Judgment, like pur-
blind
HIBERNICUs's Letters, 207
7
blind Eyes, gives its Owner great Inſight in-
to minute Things, but will only ferve to con-
found him, when he comes into a wide
Field of Action, which requires large and
comprehenfive Views. And a Philofopher,
who confiders the World in too near a Light,
fares like a Lover who fhould look at his
Miſtreſs's Skin thro' a Microſcope; he lofes
all thoſe Charms which preſent themſelves to
his naked Eye, and inſtead of them fees of
what grofs Materials and Filaments it is com-
pofed, the fight of which can create nothing
but Satiety and Diſguſt.
SENECA, in the Motto of my Paper,
tells us, that this Greediness of curious and
vain Learning makes Men troubleſome, noify,
impertinent and felfish. And I believe, there
are few Men in the World who have not had
frequent Occafions of making the fame Ob-
fervation. To what are moſt of the Diſputes
which have happen'd in the World ow-
ing, but that People are fond of appearing to
know more than they really do, which they
would not be if they were not firſt defirous of
knowing more than they need? For none would
be proud of difplaying fuperfluous Knowledge,
unleſs they confider'd it as a thing worthy the
acquiring. And what are the fatal Confe-
quences of fuch a Temper, the whole Hifto-
ry of Mankind abundantly fhews. To this
Source have been owing all the Brawls of Phi-
lofophers, which have kindled fo much Ill-
will and Contention among Mankind. It is
this
208 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
this which has corrupted both our Religion
and Morals. Inſpired with this bleſſed Dif
pofition, we have feen grave Synods and
Councils meet together, for no other end than
to curfe one another to the Pit of Hell, for
not underſtanding certain hard Words, and
unmeaning Propofitions, which both Sides
have owned to be utterly inexplicable. It is
this, in a word, which makes Men Bigots and
Enthuſiaſts, and lays a Foundation for Perfe-
cutions and Wars on the account of Religion,
which are always carried on with a greater
degree of Havock, Rage and Barbarity, than
any other Differences among Mortals.
ALL thefe bad Effects will be prevented,
if Men make the Good of Mankind the end of
their Studies. The more they know, the
more they will be convinced that the Virtues
of the Heart are preferable to thofe of the
Head; and confequently, inftead of dream-
ing away their Lives in the acquifition of un-
neceffary Accompliſhments, they will endea-
vour to employ them in that virtuous and
honeſt Courſe of Action, to affift us in the
performance of which is all that makes any
kind of Knowledge excellent or valuable.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
}
1
N 26.
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 209
N° 26. Saturday, September 25, 1725.
To HIBERNICUS.
1
Nihil rectum, nifi quod ipforum moribus
conveniat, putabunt. CORN. NEPOS.
SIR,
AM a Scholar, tho I fay it, that
Should not fay it: I am the Per-
ſon who draw up all the Petiti-
ons on our fide of the Town;
and whenever any Sailor's Wife
gets a Letter from her Husband abroad, fhe
applies to me for to get it read.
Now, you know Sir, that all of us that
have Learning, are curious of reading one
another's Works; and accordingly, whenever
my daily Buſineſs is over, the first thing I
do, after pulling off my Apron, and waſhing
my Hands and Face, is to go to a Book-
feller's near me, who I believe is a very ho-
neft Fellow; for he deals chiefly in good in-
telligible Engliſh Books, and troubles himſelf
with very few of thofe puzzling Greek and
Latin Things, which fome conceited Folks
pretend to be ſo fond of
Vol. I.
P
LAST
210 HIBERNICUS's Letters. "
LAST night, particularly, the firſt Book I
happened to caft my Eyes on, was one call'd
Plutarch's Lives. By the by, whoever
writes that Account of Plutarch's Lives, I
believe, is an huge Lyar; for I never heard
of any thing having more Lives than one,
except a Cat. But no matter for that; it is
in print, and there are a great many good
Stories enough in it.
+
Nor one of them tho, I can tell you,
pleas'd me fo well, as an Account of the
Trick play'd upon a queer Gentleman, call'd
Arifiides, who forfooth would fain have run
away with almoft all the Honeſty in the
Country; and fo, for a while, fimple People
ftil'd him Ariftides the Juft. But I thank
you, this did not laft long; his Countrymen
were as fond as we are of Liberty and
Property, and did not like thofe that were
for engroffing, or monopolizing, as we Scho-
lars call it: And it came, at laft, to a fort of
Polling, whether this fame Mr. Ariftides
fhould be, as one may fay, drumm'd out of
the Country, or no, for taking fo much upon
him.
Bur while this Polling was going on,
up comes me a good jolly Lad Faith,
Sir, I fanfy he was very like me, only he
cou'd not write, and meeting with Squire
Ariftides, whom he did not know by Sight,
defired him to put down upon his Oyſter-
fhell, or Scollop-fhell, I fwear I can't tell
which, ARISTIDES GUILTY.
Why
فید
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 211
r
Why ſo, ſaid Ariftides," (who all the
while was fretting like gummed Taffeta)
"what has Arifties done to you ?
"Done! faid the other; why, he fets up
"for being better and more virtuous than
"other Folks, and let me tell you, that's
high Treafon among a free People."
.
My poor Gentleman was ftill plaguy
fond of his Honeſty, and fo wrote his own
Mittimus, as I hear them call it at my Neigh-
bour the Juſtice's Office: And, to make my
Story fhort, he was fent off, Bag and Baggage.
-
Now, Sir, I no fooner read this, but it
put me in mind of a certain Perſon, lately
fent among us I don't care to name
Names, till I think it ſafe; but I believe
you
will gueſs at him, by the firft and the fix
laft Letters; the firſt is a big C, and the fix
laſt are, a little r, a little t, a little e, another
littler, another little e, and another little t:
And that's the way you know, moſt of the
ingenious Authors of Satires and Lampoons
let Folks know who they mean. A Word
to the Wife; I dare fay you fmoke me al-
ready.
I SAY then this C-rteret is a ſtrange fort
of a Man, I think a thouſand times worſe
than Ariftides himself: For he has not only
(to the prejudice of other his Majefty's good
Subjects of Ireland) got the Appellation of
C―rteret the handſome.C-rteret the polite,
C-rteret the affable, C-rteret the fincere,
C-rteret the learned, C-rteret the wife,
C-rteret
P 7
212
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
C-rteret the juft, but (what is moſt abfurd'
in Men of his Faſhion) C--rteret the reli-
gious and exemplary
I COULD fay many and many more fad
things of him; but for fear of tiring you
with too long a Letter at our firſt Corre-
fpondence, I will mention but one more,
which frets my very Gizzard.
You must know, I am very fond of
Plays, and am look'd upon as fo good a
Judge, in the Twelve-penny Gallery, that I
am always allow'd the Privilege of clapping
firft at a waggiſh Jeft; and my Brethren of
the HIGHER RANK watch me with
great Deference and Attention to receive the
Word of Command.
BUT, fince C-rteret is here, thofe fervile
Rogues the Actors have laid afide all that
we call the merry Plays, or at beft, have
taken out whatever they think may offend
his Gravity forfooth, and that of another
Perfon, juft of his own Kidney, who fits by
him; fo that we have now little more than
dry moral Leſſons, inſtead of our good old
Jokes; and I have no longer an Opportunity
of fhewing my Quicknefs of Apprehenfion
among the Fraternity of the worſted Lace.
ALL theſe things confidered, if thoſe old
wife People thought their Ariftides deferv'd
Baniſhment, only for getting to himſelf the
Sirname of the UST, I leave you to gueſs
what ought to be done to ours.
1
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 213
I BEG you will confult all your learned
Acquaintances on this Affair; and if you
and they think we may obtain Redreſs from
thefe Grievances by way of Petition to his
Majeſty, you may readily employ my Head
and Pen, which, as I told you, are well us'd
to fuch Performances.
p
1 am, Sir, yours, &c.
N. N.
N° 27.
Saturday, October 2, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Hoc regnum fibi quifque dat. SEN. Trag.
SIR,
I
N ſeveral former Papers I have
at fome length confidered the Na-
ture of human Happineſs, and
traced two great Branches of it,
to wit, Pleasure and Joy, to their
Sources. The laſt Branch I mentioned, which
was Tranquillity, yet remains to be diſcours'd
on; and this I intend to make the Subject
of the prefent Paper.
THE
214 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
THE antient Philofophers were fo much
divided in their Notions concerning the Sum-
mum Bonum, or fovereign Good, (Varro, if I
rightly remember, reckoning up no lefs than
two hundred and eighty eight different Opi-
nions about it) that at laft the Stoicks, to
cut short a Controverſy which had ſpun out
into fo great a Length, and confifted for the
moſt part in the Artifice of Words, ſtarted
a new Thought, and would needs have our
Happineſs to arife wholly from our felves,
and to confift in the Reflection of our own
Integrity, without the leaft dependence on
external Objects at all. And in profecution
of this Point they have faid a great many
lofty things about the Dignity of our Na-
ture, and the Infufficiency of worldly Enjoy-
ments to render us truly happy, which,
taken by themſelves, are really excellent, and
can never enough be admir'd, but are in
the higheſt degree inconclufive and abfurd in
reſpect of what they are made uſe of to
prove. The Matter was pufhed a great deal
too far. The Wiſdom of the Wife, and the
Virtue of the Virtuous, were made the only
thing neceffary to procure them an undi-
fturbed Tranquillity; and that was all any
Man could reaſonably defire. To be happy
was only to be perfectly inattentive to all
things without; and then neither Pleaſure
nor Pain could have any effect on Minds fo
fortified and entrenched within themſelves.
TTT
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 215
WHAT I have faid in my former Papers
on this Subject, is in direct contradiction to
this whole Scheme. Therein I have endea-
vour'd to fhew, that our Happineſs princi-
pally confifts in the contemplation of Natu-
ral Beauty, and the exercife of Social Affec-
tion; both which fuppofe the neceffity of
external Objects. And indeed without framing
or imagining another Syftem of Things than
the great Author of Nature has thought fit
to eſtabliſh, I could not avoid thinking and
ſpeaking as I have done; fince otherwife I
muſt have ſpoke a Language not intelligible
in the Univerſe, as at prefent modelled.
To talk of the Independence of the Mind
on Things without, and drawing our Felicity
merely from our felves, feems to me not only
the effect of great Prefumption, but to argue
an inexcufable Ignorance both of Nature in
general, and of Mankind in particular. There
neither is, nor can be any felf-fufficient Being
in the Univerſe, but Him who is poffeffed of
all Perfections. And fince Independence on
Things external for our Happineſs is but ano-
ther word for Self-fufficiency, to afcribe it
to the human Mind, is to fet Man on a
level with his Creator, and give that Praiſe
to vain Philoſophy, which is only due to
Omnipotence.
THIS is fo obvious a Confequence of that
Doctrine, that to fhun the Abfurdity of it,
ſome of the Affertors of that Philofophy
have been oblig❜'d to explain themſelves by
P
РД
a
216 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
a certain Apathy,or Infenfibility both of Plea-
fure and Pain, which even in its preſent imper-
fect ſtate, ſay they, the Mind is capable of
acquiring, and wherein, according to them,
the whole Notion of Happineſs confiſts. But
this is very far from helping to mend the
matter. The Infirmities of Flesh and Blood
will be always too ftrong for the ſtrongeſt
Arguments againſt Pain. And tho the whole
World fhould agree to pronounce Pain no
Evil, yet whoever feels it cannot help wifh-
ing he were free from it; and in doing fo,
as effectually declares it to be one, as by the
moſt explicit Retractation of his Principles,
Befides, what will all the Happineſs of this
Apathy amount to? The beſt we can make
of it is a mere negative Quality, the Mo-
ment of which, if we had it, would be but
equal to that of Annihilation, or the entire
abſtraction of Life and Senfe. For fince Life
is but perpetual Motion, and that the Reſult
of continual Defire; a lafting Tranquillity,
without any intervention of outward Ob-
jects, feems likelieft to be found in the ex-
tinction of all Defire, and the confequent
ceffation of all Motion. A Tranquillity
which Stocks and Stones enjoy in the utmost
Perfection!
But however abfurd it may be to make
this the fole Foundation of human Happineſs,
exclufive of all external Enjoyments, and to
fettle Things on fo looſe and unſubſtantial a
Bottom; yet are we by no means to reject
the
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 217
1
the Reflection of a virtuous Mind on its own
Actions from being one great Spring of true
and laſting Satisfaction. The fame Reafon
which makes moral Beauty lovely and defira-
ble, when we either confider it as an intel-
lectual Form arifing from the harmonious
Structure of the Rational Univerſe, or per-
ceive it copied out in the Actions and Beha-
viour of our Fellow-Creatures, muft create
in us a proportionable degree of Delight, to
behold in our own Bofoms the Refemblance
of the fair Original. A defire of being like
what we love, is infeparable from that delicate
Paffion; and the confcioufnefs that we are.
fo, is one of the greateſt Pleafures it affords.
Every body endeavours to imitate that part
of his Friend's Character which appears moſt
amiable to him, as being the beſt Proof of
a true Union of Affections, and the fureft
Pledge of its continuance. And tho it is
very true, that the pleaſure of this Reflection
is nothing fo intenfe as the direct Act of
Loving; yet fince every one that loves any
agreeable Quality in his Neighbour, is con-
fcious of a Happineſs in doing fo, the greater
his Senfe of that Happineſs is, the greater
muſt be his Pleaſure in confidering himſelf
capable of communicating the fame, or equal
Happineſs to others, by infpiring them with
the fame Paffion.
NOR are we to reckon the Pleaſure arifing
from this Reflection in a strict fenfe unfocial,
or intereſted, becauſe a kind of Self-enjoy-
ment
218 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
ment.
Unfocial it is not, in regard that
without Benevolence there could be no fuch
thing; and intereſted we cannot call it,
fince it owes its Original to a ſtrong Defire
of pleaſing others; the gratifying whereof,
which is always an Enjoyment, ought not,
in ftrict propriety, to be termed felfish or
intereſted, any more than the Defire itſelf.
When a Man invites his Friends to a Feaft,
does it leffen the merit of his Hoſpitality,
or make the Welcome the lefs hearty, that
he regales himſelf as well as them? On the
contrary, fhould we not reckon him a very
ftrange Entertainer, who fhould prefs his
Friends to make good Chear, and yet abftain
from it himself? And would not his Gueſts
be ready to cry out in the ufual Phrafe, to
Shew them a good Example? So when a
Man is doing his Friend, his Country, or
Mankind all the good Offices that lie in his
power, when he is laying out himſelf and
all his Faculties in Acts of Generoſity, Bene-
ficence and Charity, it is not only reaſonable
that he ſhould receive Pleaſure from reflect-
ing on it, but impoffible it fhould happen
otherwiſe, without diminiſhing the Virtue or
Bounty of fuch good Actions. For if the
good Affections themſelves be virtuous and
difintereſted, all the Pleaſure refulting from
them, of which this is none of the leaft,
muſt be ſo too. If our Love of Piety, Juftice
and Temperance be fincere, we need not be
apprehenfive, that indulging our felves in the
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 219
Feaft of a good Confcience, which the Exer-
cife of them affords us, flows from a Dif-
pofition felfish, mean and contracted.
Thus we fee, that the Satisfaction ariſing
from inward Worth, and Self-Approbation,
is cloſely connected with focial Love, and
will be greater or lefs, as we more or leſs act
upon that Principle. It may therefore be
inquir'd, how a Man in Solitude, or in fuch
low Circumſtances of Life as render him in-
capable of exerting his Virtue, can fupport
himſelf on the fole Reflection of an Integrity
unleen, and unactive. To this a fhort An-
fwer will be abundantly fufficient: A wife
and good Man can never be in abſolute So-
litude. For none of that Character is with-
out the conftant Impreffions of a fuperior,
tho inviſible Power, who fees and obferves
the Actions of all his Creatures, and even
their moſt ſecret Thoughts; and being infi-
nitely good, cannot but receive great Plea-
fure from beholding any of his Creatures ei-
ther acting or thinking according to the
Dictates of eternal Wildom. This is the
Comfort of the Virtuous in the moſt ſolitary
and difaftrous Condition of Life, and abfo-
lutely neceffary towards compleating the Hap-
pinefs of it in any given Circumftances. Ex-
ternal Proſperity will yield very little relief
to a Heart torn and afflicted with a Senſe of
its own Corruption and Wickednefs: where-
as Adverfity, and even Pain it ſelf, may be
much alleviated, when Confcience prefents
220
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
to the Mind its own Picture pure and un-
fpotted, A wicked Man reduced to Hard-
ſhips and Misfortunes is truly in a miſerable
Cafe: He has loft all the Enjoyments his
Heart was formerly fet upon; and having
no reliſh for thofe of another Kind, is left
altogether dead to any Senſe of Pleaſure, and
muſt of courſe languiſh and fink under the
Weight of a joylefs and wearifom Being.
And on the contrary, a good Man, without
depriving him of his Being, or expoſing him
to the moſt extreme Degree of Pain and
Torture, can never be placed in a Situation of
Life that will not afford him Pleaſures of the
fame kind with thofe he has been always
in purfuit of. When we can go no farther,
it is a comfortable cheering Reflection, that
we have lived an honeft and inoffenfive Life,
that we have fighed in fecret for the Miſeries
of Mankind, and if it were poffible for us
to put an End to them, would freely have
contributed all our Pains and Induſtry for
that purpoſe. And how greatly this muſt
tend to ſtill our Cares, and compofe any un-
eafy Thoughts which may ariſe in us on ac-
count of private Loffes and Difappointments,
eſpecially when we confider, that the inward
Difpofition to Goodneſs, under an Incapacity
of performing what it feeks, is equally known
and acceptable to God, as the moſt open
Acts of it can be, I think I need not gq
about to prove.
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 221
FROM all that has been faid, we may
obferve, that the Happineſs of the Mind
does, even in this Life, depend principally
on our making wife and proper Elections of
Pleaſure, and difcovering where true and
real Pleaſures are to be found, or in other
words, fuch Pleafures as are freeft from all
Interruptions and Defects. Now I think it
is evident, that what we commonly call the
Goods of Life, which fome Men hunt after
with fo much Care and Solicitude, are not
capable of procuring us true Pleaſure, but
are only of fecondary Confideration, and to
be rated in proportion as they are fubfervient
to fome other End; and confequently have
no intrinſick Worth in them to engroſs our
Affections, and purchaſe the whole Labour
of our Lives. Gratifying the fenfual Appe-
tites is productive of none but fhort and un-
ruly Guſts of Pleaſure, which therefore cannot
be true, eſpecially fince they are always, and
in an inſtant, terminated in Satiety and Dif-
guft. And furely, an unfociable and malicious
Difpofition feems fo far from being capable of
true Pleaſure, that it is fcarce conceivable
how it can receive any at all, confidering
how vehemently it muſt be heated and agi-
tated in the Defire of its Object, and how
fuddenly be feized with Horror and Shivering
after Enjoyment. So that, however the
common Courſe of human Affairs, and atten-
tion to the Hurry and Buſineſs of Life, may
for a time divert and fufpend the inward An-
guiſh
222 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
guiſh of the wicked and perverfe, yet in
effect Vice and Folly are but convertible
Terms with Evil and Miſery. And as Con-
traries beſt illuftrate each other, by the fame
way of Reaſoning, Wiſdom and Virtue prove
themſelves to be our chiefeft Good and Hap-
pineſs. For fince the love of Knowledge and
Beauty, Benevolence to Mankind, and the
Reflection of the Mind on its own Innocence
and Integrity, are what afford us the calmeft
Delight, and an Employment we can never
grow weary of; the conſtant Exercife of them
muſt be the moſt natural Action of the Soul,
and of conſequence the moſt natural and fureft
Way to be happy.
I am, Sir, yours, &c.
N® 28.
Saturday, October 9, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Nulli contigit impune nafci.
SIR,
A
SEN.
FTER all that has been faid in
my laſt, and ſeveral preceding
Papers on the Subject of Happi-
nefs, I wou'd not be underſtood
by any of my Readers as if I
imagined a perfect State of Felicity were to
be
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 223
be met with in this World, or that conſtant
Pleaſure, ever-fpringing Joy, or uninterrupt-
ed Tranquillity could be the Product of fo
various and changeable a Climate. There is
a wide difference betwixt a Thing, or an
Action, being the moſt natural and effectual
Method to make us happy, and its having
an actual Power of fo doing. The former I
have fhewn to be certainly true of fome
Things and Actions; the latter depends upon
the Will of Heaven, and admits of no other
kind of proof than what arifes from Fact,
which, in the prefent difpofition of Things,
lies wholly againſt the Cafe now in queſtion.
WHOEVER Confiders his own Infirmities,
the Vices and Folly of far the greater part
of Mankind, the many crofs Accidents which
may, and every day do happen in all human
Affairs, and the great number of Abuſes in
the World, which, by being long eſtabliſhed
as Cuſtoms, claim a fort of Preſcription for
their continuance, will foon be convinced,
that the moſt confummate Virtue and Pru-
dence are not fufficient to procure us perpe-
tual Happineſs. All our rational Enjoyments
are fubject to frequent Interruptions; and
whatever meets with an interruption in the
Enjoyment of it, muſt be attended with fome
degree of Uneafinefs. The Cares of Life,
and the Neceffity moft Men are under of
devoting a great part of their Time to the
purſuit of the fecondary Bleffings of it, rob
us of much of that Pleaſure which arifes from
the
224 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
1
}
the contemplation of Nature, and the dif
covery of Truth. No ſmall part of our
Time is taken up in mere animal Occupa-
tions, and obeying the Calls of Nature for re-
pairing the Waſtes, and relieving the Fatigues
our frail Bodies are daily fuffering. And tho
indeed Nature has wifely annexed certain
Pleaſures to our Enjoyments of this kind,
yet in the main they are an obſtruction to
the Satisfaction of the Mind. For fuch as
have no great reliſh for Luxury, cannot but
be fenfible how much they are hereby hindred
from that which is more properly their Bufi-
nefs: And they who have a very quick fen-
ſation of thoſe Delights, give the Animal the
upper-hand of the Man; and either way
rational Enjoyment is interrupted, or leffen-
ed. To which if we add how much Satiety,
Pain and Sicknefs, which we all of us are
fubject to, and moft of us frequently feel,
indiſpoſe us for intellectual Pleaſure, we muſt
own, that this part of our Happineſs is very
far from being either unmixt or unbroken.
BENEVOLENCE too is not without its
Pains and Anxieties. Where that Affection
is partial only, the Diſappointments and Sor-
rows attending it are innumerable. The dif-
ferent Inclinations, Circumftances and Em-
ployments of Men, very often feparate the
deareſt Friends, and throw them at a great
diſtance from each other, at a time perhaps
when their Commerce had grown into the
neareſt and moſt perfect Union, and their
3
Hearts
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 225
Hearts were mutually glowing with the
higheſt tranſports of Affection. If we hap-
pen to live but a few Years beyond Manhood,
Death fweeps away, one after another, our
near Relations, and the agreeable Companions
of our Youth; and leaves us in the decay of
Nature, amidſt a new Circle of Acquaintance,
who for the moft part defpife the Slownefs
and Inactivity of Old-Age, and fhun the
Company of thoſe who are arrived to it,
as Perfons of too froward and moroſe a Dif-
pofition for the Converſation of the young
and chearful. And this cannot but be a very
uncomfortable ſtate, both as it deprives us of
the Pleaſure of Society, and wrefts from us
all Opportunities of being ferviceable to it.
But above all, the Eftrangement of incon-
ftant, and the Ingratitude of falfe Friends, fo
frequently to be met with in the Commerce
of Life, render the Joys of Friendſhip very
fleeting and precarious.
NOR are thofe exalted and generous Spi-
rits, who burn with the Love of Mankind,
and extend their Affection to the whole ra-
tional Syſtem, exempted from a thouſand
Afflictions and Inquietudes arifing from that
very Virtue, which naturally fhould produce
quite different Effects. For not to mention
how it muſt wound the Heart of a good-
natur'd Man who loves his Species, to behold
far the greater Part of it either plung'd in
Luxury and Senfuality, or hurried away in the
low purſuits of fordid Intereſt, without the
Vol. I.
O
leaſt
1
226
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
leaft regard to the general Good; is there a
view we can take of human Life, under its
preſent Condition, where we do not meet
with the moſt offenfive Spectacles of Hu-
manity; if to relieve the diftrefs'd, and di-
fperfe the Sorrows of our Fellow-creatures
be, as it truly is, the most charming and
exquiſite Delight of the Soul, muſt not their
Wretchedneſs, attended with a Senfe of ina-
bility to remedy it, affect it with an equal
degree of Pain and Anguifh? And who is
there capable of contributing more than his
bare good Wiſhes towards curing moſt of the
Evils he fees Mankind every day groaning
under? We cannot ſtir abroad, without being
furrounded with the Ruins of particular Per-
fons and Families reduced to the loweſt pitch
of Mifery and Contempt, either thro' their
own ill Husbandry, the wicked Arts of
cunning and fraudulent Men, who have ut-
terly extinguiſhed every thing kind and ten-
der in their Boſoms, and hardned themſelves
againſt the Impulfes of Pity and Compaffion;
or that common Iniquity of Fortune, which
is moſt emphatically exprefs'd by the vulgar
Phrafe of being frowned upon by the World.
Pitiable Objects of this fort are ſo numerous,
that nothing under Providence is rich enough
to fupply all their Wants, and relieve all their
Diftreffes. Yet all this is little in compari-
fon of thoſe general Calamities which are
every now and then befalling whole Societies
and Nations. The Seeds of Seditions and
{
1
civil
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 22
civil Wars are conftantly fcattering in all
States, and ill Humours fermenting, which
are fure one time or other to break out with
fuch violence as muft create innumerable Mif
chiefs, let Matters end as they will. And
how few are there in any Age who have
reached the ufual Period of Life, without be-
holding either their own, or fome neighbour-
ing Country the Seat of Confufion and Mifery
from Cauſes of this fort? Has not Religion
itſelf, tho calculated for the beſt and nobleft
Purpoſes, and with a particular view to make
Humanity more lovely and attractive; has
it not, I fay, in the Hands of Tyranny and
Bigotry, been made an Inftrument of the
moſt impious and favage Barbarities the
World ever beheld? How then can a Lover
of Mankind ever hope to live at eaſe, which
he can only do by feeing Juftice, Mercy, and
Truth prevail among the Species, while the
uſeleſs and unintelligible Jargon of vain Bab-
blers can be made uſe of to fet whole Nations
by the ears; while Men can be blown up
to fuch a degree of Fury, as to ruin, tor-
ment, and extirpate one another in the main-
tenance of cant Words, and ſenſeleſs Notions,
the Cobwebs of Speech, and the Scum of
human Reaſon ? There are few Sects of
Religion more diſtinguiſhable from each other
by their favourite Tenets, than remarkable
for their unanimous Adherence to the Princi-
ple of oppreffing thofe who prefume to differ
from them.
And tho all have not entered
228
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
into expreſs Compacts for rooting out every
one who cannot embrace their Syſtem of Spe-
culation, yet the great Leaders and Zealots
of moft Parties have feldom been wanting to
fhew their good Will to be at it, as ſoon as a
convenient Opportunity fhould offer. This
Circumftance of human Affairs is what cannot
but be extremely mortifying to an honeft and
gentle Mind in the exercife of its Virtue..
And to make it the more fo, there paffes not
an Age wherein ftarts not up once or twice
fome great Imperial Deftroyer, who, to gratify
a brutal Pride, and infatiable Luft of Domi-
nion, lays waſte whole Provinces, Countries,
and Nations; invades Nature herſelf; and
the more effectually to drown the Cries of
the Univerſe, aboliſhes perhaps a whole Lan-
guage in the Deſtruction of thoſe who ſpoke
it. Can Compaffion behold all this without
bleeding? Or can the Happineſs of Virtue be
perfect and intire amidit a Scene fo filled
with diſagreeable and fhocking Events? No;
tho Humanity and Compaffion have a natural
Tendency to the general Welfare, yet the
Workings of them always produce Pain and
Uneafinefs in the Perſon who feels them. It
is true, the Heart is made better by Suffer-
ings of this kind; yet ftill it muſt fink under
a too frequent repetition of them. So that
it is evident the higheft degree of focial Af
fection can never iffue in fulneſs of Joy, in
a World fo fubject as this is to endleſs
Changes and Viciffitudes, where Virtue meets
with
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 229
with ſo many croſs Accidents, and labours
under fuch great Preffures and Difcourage-
ments. The true and proper Felicity of a
good Man confifts in the Pleaſure of behold-
ing all Men happy as well as himſelf; but it
were fooliſh, if not impious, to expect that
Sight on this fide the Grave.
THE fame Cauſes which diſtract Society,
and intercept the Joys of it, equally diſturb
the Tranquillity arifing in a virtuous Mind
from the confideration of its own Integrity.
The Vices of Mankind are infectious to fuch
a degree, that they fometimes catch the
moſt benevolent Tempers, under the fair fem-
blance of abhorring Wickedneſs and Corrup-
tion. Hence the beſt and moſt generouſly
conſtituted Souls are frequently hurried into
great Refentments, and Precipitances of
Zeal, which in the difficulty of determining
all the Cafes of Right and Wrong that may
happen in the courfe of Life, cannot but
make the Mind extremely jealous of it felf,
and fill it with many uneafy Doubts concern-
ing its own Worth and Sufficiency. This is
a Cafe very common, where a Man's Friends,
or thoſe in great Reputation for Wiſdom and
Goodneſs, happen, in any critical Conjunc-
ture, to entertain oppofite Sentiments, and
fhape their Courſe different from his; than
which there is nothing more ordinary among
all the active Part of Mankind, even while
there is on all Sides the fame honeſty of In-
tention. Self-approbation, which is the only
e3
true
230 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
}
true Source of Tranquillity, muft needs be
hereby very much weakened and impaired.
Imprudence may be very confiftent with
Goodness; yet ftill it is an Imperfection, and
as fuch muft give a good Man grief, when
he finds he has been guilty of it, which in
any great and important Crifis the beſt of
Men may be, and very frequently are. Be-
fides, the ſtrongeſt and pureſt Virtue that can
poffibly warm a human Breaſt, is fenfible of
too many Languors and Intermiffions, to in-
dulge its Owner a laſting and uninterrupted
Repofe.
AND thus I apprehend, that perfect and
unmingled Happineſs can never be our Por
tion in the preſent Life. The weakneſs and
decay of our Faculties, and the neceffary
Cares of Life, hinder our conftant Enjoy-
ment of the Pleafures of Contemplation.
The Wickednefs of the World wherein we
live, is perpetually throwing Obſtacles in the
way of focial Joy. And fince all Men are
conſcious of fome defects in their own Vir-
tue, none of them can preferve a conſtant
Tranquillity.
WHAT then is to be done? Shall we
ſhake hands with Virtue, and quit the Chaſe
of Happineſs altogether? By no means; fuch
a Conclufion were as fooliſh and unreaſonable
as it is impious. All the Good we can enjoy
here below, is derived to us thro' thofe Chan-
nels I have been defcribing. And it would
be Madneſs to throw our preſent Portion
away,
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 231
2
away, becauſe we cannot make it ſo great as
we could wish. To purfue as far as we are
able, the Paths of Truth, Goodneſs and
Honour, is the only way to make us the
happieſt we can be, in whatever fituation we
are placed. Our Virtue cannot prevent the
common Calamities and Accidents of Life,
but it is the only thing that can beſt ſupport
us under them; and, if we eſcape them, what
gives the trueft and ſweeteſt Reliſh to all our
other Enjoyments: whereas a vitious Mind
has nothing wherewith either to ſeaſon the
Bleffings, or foften the Afflictions it may
meet with. Riches cannot prevent the loſs of
Friends, relax the Agonies of a violent Cho-
lick, or diffolve a Stone in the Bladder; yet
that does not hinder them from being very
defirable Advantages, which we ought not to
flight or contemn; and it must be the height
of Stupidity in any one to do fo. And in the
fame manner, tho the higheſt Virtue cannot
guard againſt external Evils, yet the Practice
of it being the beſt Courſe we can take what-
ever befals us, and in any Circumftances, we
muft, if we reafon juftly, reckon the Purſuit
of it the fureſt and moſt direct Way to be
happy. The famous Complaint of Brutus,
O Virtue, I have worshipped thee as a real
Good, but found thee nothing but an empty
Name! however ſeemingly it carries another
afpect, is indeed a Confirmation of this
Affertion; fince, if nicely examined, what
does this Complaint import, but that he
could
Q4
232 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
could now no longer exert that incompara-
ble Virtue he was mafter of, and in the
Exerciſe of which he placed his higheſt and
greateſt Happineſs?
Bur allowing a Heathen to defpond in
his Virtue, and fink his Philofophy in the
Waters of Affliction, yet fhould that have
no influence upon us, who are encouraged to
look up for a future Place of Reft, wherein
the good Affections will be the only Quali-
ties to recommend us, and the Acts which
flow from them our eternal Delight and Em-
ployment. And tho we have no reaſon to
think, that the Divine Difpofer of all Things
will alter the Nature of Beings, yet he may
fo adapt our Faculties and their Objects to
one another, that thofe very things which
now create in us fome degree of Pain and
Uneafineſs, ſhall, by the change of Circum-
ftances, contribute to the Strength and En-
tireneſs of our Felicity. If therefore we
honeſtly deſign to be happy, let, us begin to
be ſo now, fubmitting patiently to the Plea-
fure of the Almighty in proportioning out
to us our prefent fhare of Benefits, and re-
joicing in the bleffed hope, that Wisdom will
one Day be undoubtedly juftified of her
Children.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
•
1...
HIBERNICUS.
Nọ 29,
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 233
は
​N® 29.
Saturday, October 16, 1725.
To HIBERNICUS.
-Ingenuas didiciffe fideliter Artes
Emollit mores, nec finit effe feros.
SIR,
T
OVID.
HE proper Education of Children
is of fo great concern to the Pre-
ſervation and Honour of Families,
and to the Proſperity and juſt Go-
vernment of the whole Common-
wealth, that I think there is nothing deferves
to be more feriously or nicely confider'd,
either by Parents or the Government. Pa-
rents are oblig'd to it by their being ſuch, as
the moſt probable means of the Happineſs
of their whole Pofterity; for when the
Spring is corrupt, the Stream can never be
untainted: So that really the Neglect of
one Child, may be the Deſtruction of a
long fucceffion of Families. Diftempers and
ill Conftitutions generally are the confe-
quence of the Father's Intemperance: and
- moral Diſorders are but too frequently
the fatal Entail of a Family. They who
have been fo happy as to have thofe Seeds
•
of
1
1
234 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
of Virtue and Reaſon, which indulgent Na-
ture has planted in every Breaft, cultivated
by a noble and generous Education, feem to
be as much raifed above their own Species,
as that is above Irrationals. Some Philofo-
phers imagine the Soul, after its diffolution
from the Body, will have new Senfes added
to it. A fine Education almoſt does it here:
It opens and enlarges its Theatre of Action,
and refines and multiplies its Pleaſures. What
Scenes of inexhauſted Wonders does natural
Philoſophy open to our View? By that we
fee each Spire of Grafs, or contemptible In-
fect, pregnant with Arguments of an Al-
mighty Being. How does Hiftory make the
paft grow prefent, and fummon thoſe mighty
Rulers of the World to teach us Wiſdom, and
by their Errors to correct our own? As the
Knowledge of the firft People of the Earth
could only arife from their own Experience
and Obfervation, fo, 'tis remarkable, their
Lives were longer; and poffibly one Reaſon
of the Shortnefs of ours, may be the Power
we have by Books to make uſe of theirs,
and as it were to add them to our own
if fo, how wretchedly do they abuſe this
indulgence of Providence, who never endea-
vour to taſte of thofe Fountains of Wiſdom,
which poffibly were given us in lieu of a
greater number of Years? A nice obfervation
on Morality, will fill our Minds with the
moſt grateful Senſe of the Wiſdom of our
great Creator, who has fo admirably con-
and
#
trived
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 235
2
W
"
trived his Laws, that they are as much to be
obſerv❜d on Principles of Policy as Duty;
for every Act of Conformity to them will
be found, when ſtrictly and cloſely confi-
der'd, the moſt probable Means even to a
temporal Felicity, as the receding from them
will occafion the greateſt Confufion and Dif-
order in the Government of the World.
This has given fome ill Men occafion to fanfy
thoſe Laws merely of human Invention;
but while they thus endeavour to rob the
Divinity, how loudly do they praiſe him,
by declaring the Scheme fo nicely calculated,
as to be moſt conducive to preſent Happi-
neſs abſtracted from Futurity? Morality
fixes the Mind on certain Principles of Ac-
tion; it lays up for it an invaluable Treaſury
of Principles, which will fully anſwer thro'
all the various Occurrences of Life; it
teaches us to look on ill Actions, with a
commiferating Deteftation; it makes Man
focial to Man, and works us into a kind of
Sympathy with our Fellow-Creatures; it fo
tunes the Soul, that, as is obfervable in mu-
fical Inftruments wound up to the fame Ten-
fion, it feels and anſwers what another feels.
For a good Man is in fome degree happy by
feeing another fo; this, Providence has fo
wonderfully contrived, to make his Virtue
bring a Reward to itſelf, by making him
fhare in the Pleaſure of others: as on the
contrary, the Uneafineſs he receives from
their Misfortunes, forces him to a Relief of
their
236 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
their Mifery.-Reverence, and Reſpect, and
Love are the willing Subfidies Mankind pay
to Men of this Form; they live almoft fe-
cure from Violence among the worst of Men.
Agreeable to this, Hiftory informs us, that
a certain People among the Gauls had ac-
quir'd fo great a Reputation for their Probity,
that they lived fecure and unmoleſted among
the moſt barbarous and warlike Nations that
furrounded them, unarmed of every thing but
their Virtue; and by that they became the
common Arbitrators of all the Differences
of their Neighbours. And as this Behaviour
naturally creates Eſteem and Regard; fo the
contrary as naturally produces Refentment,
and a return of ill Uſage received. Murders
and Rapines, and the moſt unreſtrained Acts
of Violence, are the neceffary confequences
of Vice. So that on mere Principles of In-
tereft, Virtue fhould be purfued. Mankind
take the greateſt pains imaginable to amaſs
Fortunes for their Pofterity, and at the fame
time are moſt unaccountably regardleſs of the
Education of their Children, which is the
only Means whereby that can be preſerved
to them. Wealth is like Food to the natural
Body; if the Conſtitution be in good order,
it preſerves and continues it fo; but if diftem-
per'd, it only feeds the Diſeaſe, and haftens
Deſtruction. Suppoſe we one of thoſe Fathers,
heedless of his Family's Education, taken up
like Adam in Milton, and looking into Fu-
turity: Here he would fee one Čhild wan-
toning
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 237
toning away his Fortune in Vice and Extra-
vagance; another tortured with the Diſeaſes
his Debaucheries had begot, and agonizing
Life away; a third he fees weltring in his
Blood, and dying for fome abandon'd Proſti-
tute; and his whole Family reduc'd to the
laft degree of Indigence and Want. How
miferable a Proſpect is here? But could he
look farther, and fee them condemned to
endleſs Perdition, which he himſelf had con-
tributed to by his Negligence,, then poffibly
one part of his own Mifery may be the felf-
upbraidings of his Confcience. But the
Thought is too fhocking, I muſt cloſe the
Scene.
THUS far I have confider'd Education as
it regards private Perfons; as it relates to the
Publick, and the Manner of it in general,
I fhall confider it farther, if you think this
worth inferting.
I am
Your very humble Servant,
A. M.
SIR,
T
To HIBERNICUS.
A HERE is a Friend of mine has lately
read Tacitus and Macchiavel, and he
is grown fo perfect a Statefiman by
them, that there is not one of his Acquain-
tance can do the moſt indifferent Action, but
he immediately interprets it into Deſign, and
AS
238 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
as the effect of fome Plot or Scheme. Every
Story he hears gives him an opportunity of
dinning our Ears with Lectures of Politicks;
from a gay good-natur'd Companion, he's
grown a filent Obfervator. He really is a
Man of good Senfe, but fince he has got
this Whim in his head, there is no bearing
him. His Remarks are very good, drawn
from diligent Reading, and a juft Obſervation
on Mankind; but he'll let nothing paſs him.
He muſt ſhew his great Penetration in every
thing, and apply his Maxims on every
trifle. We laugh at him for it; but he grave-
ly fays, Well, Gentlemen, I am fatisfy'd
there is as much Artifice and Deſign in
'low Life as at Court; 'tis true, 'tis not of
equal Importance to the World, but that is
no matter, it equally concerns me; they
are to take care of a Kingdom, I of my
• Fortune; this is my Poft, that theirs; and
as fuch I muſt be equally vigilant in the
• Care of it; befides, 'tis good to reafon
' on every thing; it hinders a Man from
being furpriz'd thus did Aratus the Sicyo-
nian; he never rode out with his Friends,
but he was examining the Situation of
Places, and confidering how to form an
Army; ſuppoſe the Enemy were on this
Hill, or in that Valley, how fhou'd we
advance or retire: And thus he made him-
felf the beſt General of his Time. This
teaches us to be ever obfervant ; no Man ~
⚫ can tell what may be collected from the Ob-
·
·
6
"
C
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Letters. 239
I
،
·
fervation of the meanest Trifles; for in
them the Mind is lefs guarded, and acts
more open and free from the diſguiſe Pru-
⚫dence uſes in things of Confequence;
⚫ weak Men are beſt interpreted by their Na-
tures, wife Men by their Ends. Thus is
he a Politician on every Occafion. T'other
day I had a Letter from Hampstead, which
told me that- But to fave room I'll give
you the Paragraph: Sure Suky is the beſt
Aunt in the World, Betty and fhe had like
to have been robb'd laft Night; Suky would
not let her ftir out of the Room, but ven-
tur'd her felf into all the Danger. You
know they are both good Fortunes; which
makes the Town fanfy the Attempt was
to run away with them; but Suky is mighty
angry at it, fhe can't hear it with Patience;
What, fays fhe, run away with me? I
wiſh I could fee any Rogue of them all
run away with Suky?
I was juft putting
up my Letter, when my Friend ſtretch'd out
his Hand for it, with an Air of Importance;
Tom, fays he, This fhould be confider'd,
<
·
،
C
<
-This Behaviour of Suky's will bear
another Interpretation; Suky's above thirty,
"fhe's not handfom; Women are all made
of the fame frail Materials: That Care of
the Niece may deſerve another Name: Her
running her ſelf into Danger, may be the
Effect of Defign and not Imprudence.
• All this confider'd, it ſeems to have a dif
•ferent Afpect.
What I won't be pofitive.
-But
•
240 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
/
"
·
८
But this I muft obſerve, Spies in the
Army purpoſely run into Danger to be
taken. Sinon in Virgil is an Inftance,
Her faying, I wish I could fee any
Rogue of them all run away with Suky,
may be the Refult of Defire, and not of
Anger: The Expreffion will bear two In-
terpretations; and therefore the Conftitu-
⚫tion and Inclination muſt give the true one;
you remember Mademoiſelle in the Play.'
<
<
THUS, Sir, are we tormented from Morn-
ing till Night, and I believe the only way
to cure my Friend would be your publiſhing
this; for he is a Man of good Senfe, and
will eaſily ſee the Ridicule of his Character,
and remembers the Story. It would be of
great ſervice to all his Acquaintance to whom
he is grown extremely difagreeable, particu-
larly to,
SIR,
Tour humble Servant,
1
B. R.
30%
+
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 241
N°
30.
Saturday, October 23, 1725.
To HIBERNÌCUS.
Cur pigeat nos in re omnium pretiofiffima fumere la-
boris aliquid, cujus fructus nos in alteram quoque
vitam comitatur?
SIR,
AUGUSTIN
HETHER the Ambition of thoſe
W who in the corrupt Ages of Chriftia-
nity were induſtrious to propagate
Ignorance, as the fureft Means to
reconcile Men to Slavery; and by depriving
them of the Light of the Gospel, and dim-
ming the Eyes of their Reafon, the eafier
impofe their Tricks upon the credulous Mul-
titude: or the fuperftitious Veneration which
the better-meaning paid to Divine Matters,
were the firft Reafon why religious Subjects
were fo wholly excluded from the Knowledge
and Converſation of Mankind; it is plain
that the Ignorance of our Age proceeds from
another more lamentable Caufe, the Vitiouf-
nefs of our Taftes, which hinders us from
ufing the Liberty our Church allows us, and
fearching into thofe ineftimable Stores of
Truth and Wifdom, for the free uſe and
Vol. I.
R
· know-
242 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
knowledge of which, our wifer Anceſtors
were content to lay down their Lives.
;
IT has been ever matter of the greateſt
wonder to me, that ſo many men who make
a ſerious profeffion of Chriftianity, ſhould
be fatisfy'd to live in Ignorance of thofe
Laws, by their Obedience or Repugnancy
to which they expect to be for ever happy
or miferable. But fince (however ftrange it
may feem) Experience fhows us it is fo
and it is to this we may attribute many of
the Miſtakes People make in the conduct
of their Lives, and fearches after Happineſs;
I think nothing could be more worthy your
endeavour, than earneſtly to recommend the
Uſe of the Sacred Writings to your Country-
men, and to remove the Prejudices they con-
ceive againſt them, as abridging their Plea-
fures and croffing their Intereſts. However
this may feem out of your Province, the
End will justify the Means, fince it will be
an effectual way to make Men wiſe and vir-
tuous, to let them know the fecret Plea-
fure, and certain Reward of being ſo; and
it ſeems abſolutely neceffary to ſteal thoſe
convincing Truths upon them, whoſe open
Force they induſtriouſly avoid. Nor will it
be any Objection to this Defign, that your
Readers are generally of the beſt Diſtinction
and Knowledge: for however Men, to con-
ceal a fhameful Ignorance, or avoid exami-
ning their Accounts, and feeing the Bank-
rupt Condition of their Eftates, have got a
knack
1
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 243
knack of filencing whatever may offer at
their Inſtruction, by ſaying they have heard
it all a thouſand times they know it all as
well as any body can tell them, &c. their
Actions are to me a plain Inftance of the
contrary for whatever Truth that unmanly
Confeffion fo much in their mouths,
Video meliora proboque,
Deteriora fequor.
may have in leffer matters, where the Grati-
fication of the preſent Defire may ſtop them
in the purſuit of fome future inconfiderable
Good; the Condition of our immortal Souls,
and the certainty of eternal Happineſs and
Mifery depending upon our own preſent Con-
duct, are things which once duly confidered,
can never after ceafe to influence our Actions;
the weight of the Matter fets the Impreffion
upon our Minds too deeply to be ever eraz'd.
1
'Tis true, there is a Knowledge in Reli-
gion, which every one born in a civilized
Country muſt have, and which, fuperficial
as it is, is fufficient to gain it ſome Reverence,
even from thoſe who have abandon'd fuch a
Knowledge as fome ignorant People have of
the Sun, who perceiving that it enlivens them,
eſteem it upon that only account worthy
their Admiration, without knowing that they
owe Life, Health, and Suftenance to it, or
being able to direct their Labours ſo as to
reap the innumerable Benefits they might re-
ceive from its Influence. But this is not fuffi-
cient ;
R 2
244 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
cient; fuch involving Views of Religion ari-
fing in the crowd of our Thoughts, are not
enough to make us know and admire her; 'tis
by often viewing her Beautys, and fecretly
contemplating her Perfections, that we be-
come enamour'd of her; and I am perfuaded
whoever does fo, will gladly yield himſelf
Captive to her refiftlefs Charms. Nor can it
be otherwife, fince the Soul of Man, con-
ſcious of its own Eternity, can be content
with nothing leſs than eternal Felicity, which
Religion alone propoſes as the Reward of its
virtuous Endeavours. Nor (on the other
hand) can a rational Creature who confiders
and believes everlaſting Mifery the Confe-
quence of Sin, be fuppos'd ever to incur the
Danger of it for any momentary Pleaſure,
fuch as are all thofe which muſt have an End,
tho they ſhould endure as long as Time itſelf.
If this be fo, it is plain from what fources
our Vices and Irregularities flow, and that
the weakneſs of our Nature, the ftrength of
our Paffions, the delufivenefs of Sin, &c.
are Words which we uſe to palliate our Er-
rors, and ſcreen the true Caufes, Ignorance,
and Inconfideration. It is a common faying,
that Men by Sin degenerate into Brutes; but
I think they first degenerate into Brutes, by
neglecting to uſe thofe Faculties which fet
the difference between them, and fo earneſtly
follicit them, that whoever looks into him-
ſelf, will find that reftless Principle perpetu-
ally prompting him to remote fearches, and
thirsting after diſtant Knowledge. Theſe
HIBERNICUs Letters. 245
workings of the Soul, ftruggling to get loofe
from her earthly Incumbrance, and foar to
her divine Original, are in moft Men in this
degenerate ſtate fo deprefs'd by earthly De-
fires, and overborn by ſenſual Pleaſures, that
they are ſcarce perceived, in others fo mifap-
plied, that the mighty Product is fome uſeleſs
diſcovery of the Qualities of thoſe little Par-
cels of Matter about us. Thus do Men for-
get the very Pofture they were created in,
and ſtoop to Earth for Matter of Contempla-
tion and Employment! How much more
exalted were the Confideration of our Maker,
infinite Power difpofing and ordering all
Things with infinite Wiſdom, and difpenfing
to the whole Creation with infinite Juſtice!
This were indeed a Field for the Soul of Man
to expand herſelf in; here fhe may ftand a-
mazed amidſt variety of endleſs Wonders!
But when the turns her Thoughts, and con-
fiders herſelf the Darling of this Almighty
Power, the Object of infinite Mercy, infi-
nite Love, how lovely how ſweet and in-
expreffible is her Rapture! Who could find
Pleaſure in any other Enjoyment? Who
could relifh the fatiating Pleaſures of Senſe a-
midſt the Joys of fuch a Contemplation, or
think any Condition hard for the Attain-
ment of fuch a Bleffing? Yet this may be
the Happiness of every Man, who pleaſes
to make it fo by an impartial obedience
to the Laws of God. Now fince the
Knowledge of thefe Laws is only to be had
in the Bible and that facred Book not only
246 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
fhews us the Conditions of our Happineſs,
but likewiſe enables us to perform them, by
propounding the moſt perfect Example of
Holiness that ever was, for our imitation,
and furniſhing us with the beft Arguments
againſt Sin and the Temptations thereto, and
affuring us of the affiftance of Heaven in all
our Endeavours; I think I cannot recommend
it from more folid Confiderations. But fince
Men are more apt to be moved with nearer
Objects, and feldom extend their Views far-
ther than the narrow limits of this Life, I
would have them confider that the Goſpel
contains the beſt Rules for their temporal as
well as eternal Happineſs, that it is calculated
to make Men obedient to Government, and
uſeful to Society in general, as well as juſt,
merciful and loving to every Member thereof;
that it requires Temperance, Prudence and
Charity with regard to our felves, and en-
dears to us the practice of thofe Virtues which
make Life eafy and comfortable; that it
abridges us of no reaſonable Pleaſure, and
only reſtrains thoſe irregular Paſſions which
are below the Dignity of our Nature, and
draw fuch pernicious Confequences after
them; making that very Reſtraint more plea-
fing than the moſt libertine Enjoyment.
SUCH is that Book (and fuch would be
its Effects) which I would have you recom-
mend to the more ferious confideration and
ſtudy of your Countrymen; and if you add
fuch Perfuafions to theſe Arguments as may
make
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 247
make them effectual to the reformation of
Mens Lives and Manners, 'twill be the
greateſt Pleaſure to,
SIR,
Your very humble Servant,
THEOPHILUS.
N° 31. Saturday, October
30, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
--Ille fupernis
Deteftanda Diis favorum arcana Magorum
Moverat, & triftes facris feralibus aras,
Umbrarum, ditifque fidem.
SIR,
M
Luc.
ANKIND are not more apt to
entertain falſe and dangerous No-
tions of Happinefs, and delude,
themſelves with vain and imagi-
nary Hopes, than ready to be
alarmed with groundleſs Terrors and Appre-
henfions; and both thefe Weakneffes are
owing to the fame Caufe, want of confider-
ing Things with due Care and Attention,
and thereby taking up with the firſt ſpecious
Appearance, or a foolish Prejudice we have
either fallen into our felves, or received in
R 4
com-
248 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
compliance with the Tyranny of Cuſtom,
and the Opinions of the Multitude,
As it is a fure Sign, in the common
Affairs of Life, of a Man's Weakneſs and
Incapacity, that he is fubject to be ſurprized,
and put to a nonplus at any little unexpected
Turns or Accidents in Buſineſs; fo with re-
ſpect to all Science, whether Practical or
Speculative, Wonder is the uſual way by which
Men betray their Ignorance. Novelty is the
only thing which raiſes what we call Wonder;
and therefore they who know much, are very
little fubject to it, becauſe they meet with
few things which to them are either new or
ftrange. On the other hand, moſt things be-
ing new to the Ignorant, they are apt to be
ſeized with Surprize upon the ſmalleſt and
moft trifling Occafions, and in conſequence
hereof may be eaſily worked up into the Be-
lief of things being prodigious and fuper-
natural, which are not only the regular but
ufual and conſtant Effects of natural Cauſes.
AGREEABLE hereunto, we find the Vul-
gar in all Ages extremely addicted to Super-
ftition, and terrifying themſelves with very
common and ordinary Occurrences, as the
immediate Effects of a Divine Interpofition,
or the Operations of certain inferior Spirits,
who, either out of Goodwill or Malice,
but for the most part the latter, were fuppa-
fed to intereft themfelves, and have a great
hand in all human Affairs. Among the An-
tients, not only the Eclipfes of the Sun and
Moon,
HIBERNICUS's Letters, 249
Moon, but even Thunder and Tempeſts were
thought to be the Work of fome inviſible
Agents, and to have a conftant and unavoid-
able influence on the Actions and Fortunes of
Mankind. Rules were framed, and Colleges
of Men eſtabliſhed, to examine thefe Phano-
mena, and determine the particular Events be-
lieved to be prognofticated by them. Thus
Delufion and Impofture were brought into a
regular Syſtem; and it became a part of
Mens Religion to believe the Deity either a
wicked or a weak Being; one that either de-
lighted in tormenting his Creatures himſelf,
or elſe wanted fufficient Power to hinder
others from doing it.
ENCOURAGED by this fucceſs, another
ſet of Jugglers ſtarted up, and impoſed a new
Cheat upon the World, endeavouring to per-
fuade Men, that not only their Temper and
Genius, but all the Actions and Occurrences
of their Lives, and even the Time and Man-
ner of their Death, depended intirely upon
the Revolutions and Afpects of the heavenly
Bodies. Nothing was done here below which
was not the effect of fomething that had been
doing above. But as it would fignify little
or nothing to know, that the Stars were a
very underſtanding fort of People, and knew
a great many Secrets, unleſs we had fome
way of fishing out their Meaning, and dif
covering what they would be at, it became
neceffary to invent fome Scheme for that
purpofe. This the judicial Aftrologers
have
250 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
have very generouſly ſupplied us with. And
as far as hard Words and uncouth Terms
of Art go towards making up a Science, they
may conteſt the Palm with the moſt profound
and abſtracted among the Schoolmen. Nor
are they wanting in Impudence to give us
their Opinion of what is to come, with as
great certainty and pofitiveneſs as our News-
writers do of what is paft. To this day the
World is pefter'd with whole Swarms of thefe
ignorant and bold Impoftors. There is not
a Prince in Europe but what has his Nativity
calculated by fome one or other of them;
and the Planets roll in their Orbits for no
other purpoſe than to diftribute Plagues and
Famine, and produce Confufion and Bloodshed
among the Inhabitants of this Earth.
But the moſt popular and prevailing Spirit
of Superſtition among us is the wife and pious
Doctrine of Witches and Apparitions, which
has been ſo induſtriouſly propagated for many
Ages among the common People. Many a
poor old Woman has fuffered under the for-
mer Character, whofe only Crime was Old-
Age and Uglineſs, accompanied perhaps with
a little Ill-Nature. In a neighbouring Nation
the whole Country was for fome Years in
a ſtate of Hoftility with their old Women on
this ſcore, and made Bonfires of them with
the ſame eagerneſs that the Royaliſts roaſted
Rumps upon the Reſtoration. If any People
of Senfe and Reflection happened to doubt
the Truth of any Feats faid to be performed
by
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 251
by thoſe unfortunate Creatures, they were
immediately run down as Atheists and Infi-
dels, and forced to fit filent at the barbarous
treatment of their Fellow-Mortals, under the
penalty of having their Chriſtianity called in
queftion. This gave encouragement to idle
and malicious People to profecute great num-
bers of poor Wretches to Death. If a young
Girl happened to turn fplenetick for want of
a Husband, inſtantly ſhe was bewitched, and
never left vomiting Hay, Buttons, and
crooked Pins, till all the old Women in the
neighbourhood were either cruelly butcher-
ed, or their Lives made miferable thro' the
Odium of thoſe wicked Arts imputed to them.
And every perverfe Boy, who had a mind
to play the Truant, had no more to do than
throw himſelf into Fits, and by that means
get abundance of Play at the expence of the
Poor of the Pariſh.
MANY a melancholy inftance might be
given of Deceits and Rogueries of this kind,
which have been fatal to the Lives and Repu-
tation of Multitudes of ignorant People, and
entailed laſting Difgrace upon their Families
and Pofterity. And thefe Deceits have been
carried on with fuch Art and Contrivance,
that Men of great Senſe and Prudence have
been frequently impofed upon by them, till
fome lucky Accident has difcovered the Cheat;
which fhould make all others exceedingly
cautious and reſerved in their Belief of fuch
Matters. And for this end I cannot forbear
recom-
152 HABARNICUs's ´Letters.
recommending to the more curious of my
Readers an excellent Treatife on this Sub-
ject, written by a worthy Prélate, the pre-
fent Bishop of Down and Connor; wherein
they will fee, from a great number of un-
questionable Facts, how easy it may be for
cunning and malicious People to play a vaft.
Number of extraordinary Pranks, without
the aſſiſtance of the Devil, or any other evil
Spirit but their own.
IT is repreſented in Scripture as one of
the greatest Woes of the wicked, to fear
where no Fear is; that is, where there is no
real Danger, and confequently no juſt Cauſe
of Fear. Yet there are a great many People,
whom it would be the height of Uncharita-
bleneſs to rank in that Clafs, who are often
thrown into the utmoſt Horror and Confter-
nation with the imaginary Fears of Ghoſts
and Goblins. Mr. Locke has more than once
obferved, that this is in great meaſure owing
to thoſe early Prejudices inftilled into the
tender Minds of Children by Nurſes and
other idle Perfons, who can find no other
Device for diverting a Child's Frowardneſs,
than threatning it with a Raw-head and
Bloody-bones. By this means we are firſt
rendered weak and timorous; and there is
afterwards due care taken that we fhould
continue fo, by thofe many edifying Stories
of Spectres, Wafts, and Midnight Noifes,
which are the ufual Fire-fide Entertainments
among the Servants and Children in a Win-
tare
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 253
ter's Evening. Many who have lived to fee
the Folly of their Fears on this Head, have
yet never been able to free themſelves from
the mechanical Effect of them; but are
every day fubject to the misfortune of being
feized with Terrors they know to be vain
and ridiculous, and plagued with fuch a rich
Wildness of Invention, as can transform the
moſt common Objects, if feen in an imper-
fect and glimmering Light, into the moſt
dreadful and aftonishing Appearances, On
the other hand, there are not wanting fome,
who have engrafted thefe Errors into their
Belief, and made it an Article of their Creed,
that the principal Buſineſs of the Devil and
other wicked Spirits, is to frighten Mankind,
and to walk about in the Night-time, in bor-
rible Shapes, that they may have the Oppor-
tunity of attacking us alone and in the dark.
As the Happineſs of Mankind is as often
interrupted by whimſical Diftreffes as real
Afflictions, a kinder Office could not be done
to many of our Fellow-Creatures, than to
beat theſe troublefome Notions out of their
Heads. People of Senfe, with whom they
converfe, fhould endeavour not only to rea-
ſon, but rally them into a little Courage, and
draw them by degrees into fuch Places as
ſeem moſt apt to excite difmal Images, and
cloudy Apprehenfions. They might then be
brought to believe that the Air is nothing fo
full of Devils as is commonly imagined; and
that we have as few Enemies abroad in the
ftill
254 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
ftill Seaſons of the Night as in any Hour of
the Day. And indeed if we rightly examine
things, we fhall fee much more Reaſon to
dread the Devil's over-reaching us in a Mar-1
ket, then terrifying us in our Retirements;
and be of opinion, that he oftner appears in
a Hoop-Petticoat, than a Bear's Skin, and
has done a great deal more Execution by
fhewing a Laced-Shoe, than his Cloven-Foot.
Not to mention, that more Evil Spirits have
frequently iffued out of a Bottle of Claret,
than are to be met with in any Church-Yard
in his Majeſty's Dominions.
BE theſe impure Spirits as ill-diſpoſed to
the Human Species as they can, we may
however depend upon it, that they would
rather approach us with Blandiſhment and
Gaiety than Horror and Ghaftlineſs, were
they permitted to make their Appearance.
If they acted any otherwife, they would evi-
dently betray the Interefts of that Kingdom
of Darkness with which they are in Alliance,
and contradict all Rules of good Policy, a
Crime we ſeldom ufe to lay to their charge.
Upon this account I have always look'd on
the antient Hypothefis of Superftition, (by
which earthly Damfels were ſpirited away, to
Verdant Bowers and Cryſtal Palaces, to be
made Concubines to Fairy Kings) to be much
better imagined than thoſe pale Ghofts, and
monftrous Aſpects, which are wrought into
the Syſtem of Damonology now in Vogue, as
it renders the Conduct of the Infernal Beings
more
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 255
more confiftent and of a-piece with the com-
mon Notions we have conceived of their
Cunning and Falfhood.
Bur the moſt abfurd thing in this whole
Scheme of Delufion is the fummoning up
the Apparitions of deceaſed Perfons upon
the moſt trfling, or no Occafions at all. A
poor Girl dying of the Green Sickneſs, to be
fure, has her Ghoſt ſeen walking in white by
half the unmarried Women in the Parish,
who certainly conclude it to be a juſt Judg.
ment on her cruel Parents for not letting her
marry the Footman. And a cloſe Hunks,
who has ſtarved himſelf out of the World,
muſt diſturb a whole Neighbourhood, in order
to diſcover to his Friends where he has hid
his Money. But the misfortune of it is, that
the Man having been very reſerved in his
Life-time, cannot be prevailed upon to ſpeak
after his Death. So that the People for whom
he intended a good Turn, merely for not un-
derſtanding the Intimations he gives them,
are deprived of the Fruit of all the Pains he
took both living and dead. And thus every
fanciful Body who takes it in his head, can
poffefs a weak Multitude with an Opinion,
that the departed Spirits of their Friends and
Acquaintance are wandring about in Church-
Yards and other folitary Places, with no o-
ther View that can be conjectured, than to
frighten Women and Children out of their
Wits.
I
256 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
I GRANT indeed, that upon fome Emer-
gences, a Spectre may make its Appearance
with a great deal of Difcretion, and be em-
ployed upon very important Buſineſs. In the
Days of Popery, the Priests, who always
had a Competency of them under command,
made them turn to very good account, by
converting all the Mifchief they did to the
Service of the Church. Nor was it an un-
friendly Ghoſt to Sempronia, which, the o-
ther night, in the fhape of a headlefs Man,
gave her an Opportunity to miſcarry of a full-
grown Child, in the fifth Month after her
Marriage with Cornutus. In fuch urgent
Cafes we may make allowances for fomething
marvellous and extraordinary, agreeable to
the old Rule in Horace;
Nec Deus interfit, nifi dignus vindice nodus
Inciderit.
THAT there are both good and bad Spi-
rits, is, I think, very plain both from Reafon
and Revelation; nor will I difpute the poffi-
bility of their affuming airy Vehicles, and
being employed by the Supreme Being upon
fome extraordinary Occafions: that being
what we have frequent Inftances of in the Sa-
cred Writings. But as we have now a full
and perfect Revelation of the Divine Will,
and are to expect no other, there can be no
longer any room for this kind of Intercourfe
betwixt God and his Creatures; but all fuch
Stories muſt paſs amongſt thoſe Dreams and
Lying
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 257
Lying Wonders, which are ſo often and plain-
ly foretold in the Scriptures. And on the
other hand, that the Almighty ſhould ſuffer
the Emiffaries of Hell to have more Power
than the Heavenly Beings, feems utterly in-
confiftent with thofe Attributes of Wiſdom
and Goodneſs, which are neceffarily connect-
ed with our Idea of Omnipotence. The
Spirits of the Damned, according to the In-
formations we have, enjoy no fuch Refpite
from their Torments as will allow them lei-
fure for ſuch viſionary Exploits; and it can
hardly be imagined, that the Souls of the
Bleft ſhould have their Felicity fufpended for
fuch trivial Reaſons as are commonly affigned.
I am not for denying the thing in general,
where good Cauſe can be fhewn why the God
of Nature ſhould make uſe of Methods out of
the ordinary Courſe of his Providence. But
I think every particular Inftance is to be
fufpected, which does not carry with it evi-
dent Reaſons for the Divine Interpofition, as
well as a bare Probability of the Fact. And
on this account it is juſt as weak and fooliſh
for us to be uneafy about Apparitions, as it
would be to live in the perpetual Terror of
Earthquakes, Deluges, and Irruptions, which
have been fometimes the Inftruments of the
Wrath of Heaven upon guilty Nations.
f
A MAN of Religion and Virtue fhould,
methinks, rather conceive Pleaſure and Satif-
faction, than Deſpair and Confufion, from the
Notion of his being furrounded with ſpiritual
VAL I
258 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Agents. For upon that Suppofition he is al-
ways attended in his greateſt Privacy, with
fo
many Witneſſes of that conſcious Worth
and Integrity, the Senſe of which is ſo charm-
ing to an honeſt Mind in the Hours of Si-
lence and Solitude. If we believe God to be
a good Being, we may fafely conjecture, that
the attendant Spirits of the Virtuous, if any
fuch there be, will be rather our Guardians
and Protectors, than the Means of terrifying
and amazing us. We are not to think that
the Father of Spirits, who is always prefent
with us, and governs the Intellectual as well
as the Material Univerfe, will fuffer wicked
and malicious Beings to violate the Laws of
Nature, purely to vex and torment others of
his Creatures, who are endeavouring to ſerve
him in Spirit and Truth. Such Thoughts are
extremely irreligious, as well as irrational;
they not only affront and deprefs Human
Nature, but are the higheſt Indignity that
can be offered to the Deity, by the natural
tendency they have to leffen our Opinion of
his Goodneſs and Compaffion, and to make
us withhold much of that filial Love and
Reverence we always ought to pay to the
Beft, the moſt Gracious and Bountiful of all
Beings.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUs.
No 22.
1
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 259
Letters.
豬
​N° 32. Saturday, November 6, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Quid rides? mutato nomine
SIR,
T
HoRe
O be born in IRELAND is
ufually looked upon as a Misfor-
tune, to that degree that People
uſe the Phrafe with as little hefita-
tion as they do any other prover-
bial Expreffion. Yet I once knew a Gentle-
man, who faid, He had the Honour to be
born in Ireland; a Saying I have always re-
flected on with a great deal of Pleaſure. I
think it no ways amifs that we ſhould reckon
it an Honour to be born in any Country
where it is a Happineſs to live. And for that
Reaſon the Natives of a Land of Liberty
may juſtly put a Value on themſelves on ac-
count of the Place of their Birth. The
The great
Apoſtle of the Gentiles, however mortified
to the Ways of the World, and the Oftenta-
tion of Names and Titles, yet thought it in
no wife unbecoming his Character to boast
of his being Free-born. And tho we in this
Kingdom lie under many Inconveniences, to
S 2
which
260 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
{
'
which all Colonies are neceffarily fubject, yet
fo long as we enjoy our prefent legal Con-
ftitution, our Country is a Land of Liberty
and Happineſs, and we may reaſonably exult
in a Privilege, which fo few of our neigh-
bouring Nations have any Shadow of left.
FOR theſe Reaſons, I perfuade my ſelf,
the ingenious Gentleman, who honours me
with the following Letter, will not think,
upon fecond confideration, the Name HI-
BERNICUS too low a Title for any Au-
thor of this Nation, much lefs when affixed
to Performances of fo perishable a kind as
thoſe which have hitherto come from that
Hand. As much as I am obliged to him for
ſo extraordinary a Compliment, I cannot help
thinking, that it would be unpardonable weak-
nefs and vanity in me to affume any of thoſe
magiſterial Characters he has recommended,
and become the aukward Imitator of great
Originals, which we humble Folks muft be
content to contemplate and admire at a
diſtance.
Bur tho I am not difpofed to renounce a
Title I was born to, I am ftill hopeful, that
need not be any Argument with the Gentle-
man for diſcontinuing a Correſpondence,
which has already given me ſo many agreea-
ble Opportunities of entertaining the Publick
a great deal better than I was capable of doing
my felf. His Letters will always be wel-
come, upon whatever Subject he thinks fit.
Nor will it be any offence to my imagined
Gravity.
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 261
Gravity, for him to laugh out a whole Paper
whenever he will; fince I am fure, Mirth,
under fuch management, cannot be juftly
offenfive to the moſt rigid Virtue alive, and
may produce the fame good Effects with Dif-
courſes of the moſt grave and ſerious Turn.
Any Papers the Gentleman, or thoſe Friends
he mentions, fhall defire to communicate to
the Publick thro' my Hands, if left with
Meffieurs Smith and Bruce on the Blind-
Key, however they are directed, will always
find their way to
His very
bumble Servant,
HIBERNIcus.
SIR,
To HIBERNICUS.
Tis the general Cuſtom of thoſe
I who write daily or weekly Papers
for the improvement of Mankind,
to affume fome Title fignificative of
their Deſign, when they make their first pub-
lick Entry into the World. The great Man,
whoſe immortal Lucubrations have been tran-
flated into moſt of the European Languages,
appeared under the denomination of CEN-
SOR of Great Britain: And moſt Authors
of that nature ever fince, have imitated him
in this reſpect, both in England and Ireland.
For inftance, not long fince, we had one who
fet up with the pompous Title of DICTA-
TOR:
$2
262 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
TOR: But I fuppofe he was ſenſible ſuch
an Employment was of too great importance
to be continued long in the fame Hands;
and he laid down his Commiffion with great
Modeſty, even in a fhorter time than moſt of
his Roman Predeceffors.
You are now, Sir, the only Magiſtrate
of that kind among us; but you want a very
material Part of your Patent, that is, a
Magiſterial Title: For to tell you the truth
on't, HIBERNICUS, after all, is only
Latin for TEAGUE. I therefore make
bold, as a Well-wisher of yours, to defire
you would affume fome founding Name of
Power, applicable to your Employment, out
of regard to Fools, or (which is the fame
thing) to the generality of the World, who
pay the utmoſt deference to Emptiness, if fet
off with Titles, but defpife Wiſdom in a pri-
vate Station, and under a plebeian Name,
Befides, both my Friends and I, who would
be glad to correfpond with you, are at a loſs
how to do it, till you give us publick Notice
of the Nature of your Office.
WERE the Tranfmigration of Souls an
Article of my Creed, I fhould be apt to
addrefs you under the Name of CENSOR
REDIVIVUS: But, as I am no Pythago-
rean, and befides have a good deal of Na-
tional Spirit about me, it gives me more fecret
Pleaſure to look upon you as a native Au-
thor of Ireland.
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 263
YOUR Anſwer to thefe Doubts will high-
ly oblige us; and if we find by your future
Title, that you are a Magiftrate of a mixt
and extenſive Capacity, we fhall then venture
to communicate to you our Obfervations, and
all our Complaints, on various Subjects, which
we have hitherto been deterred from doing,
becauſe we did not know, whether you would
vouchſafe to take under your confideration
any other befides Moral Speculations, And
we have always obferved fo much Gravity in
your Writings, that (unleſs you give us fome
encouragement) we fhould bluſh as much at
fending you a merry Letter, as the Romans
did at acting their Frolicks before the auftere
Cato.
THIS leads me to another piece of Ad-
vice, which I have been ruminating on, ever
fince your first
appearance abroad, and which
I find was hinted to you before, by the Perſon
who obliged the Publick with his agreeable
Remarks on the Franchifes.
You know, Sir, that Heraclitus whined
and cried in a Corner at the Vices and Follies
of Mankind, without having an opportunity
to wash away the leaft of them with all his
Tears; becauſe no body was fond of coming
to fee his penitential Face. But Democritus's
fneering merry Looks brought Crouds to gaze
at him, as they would have done at a divert-
ing Mountebank: And when he had once
gain'd that Point, by virtue of Satirical Ho-
cus Pocus, he very often made them infen-
S 4
SA
fibly
}
264 HIBERNICUS's Letters,
fibly ſwallow his Philofophical Pills, at the
fame time that they thought he was ramming
them down their Neighbours Throats.
I FANCY if you would imitate his ex-
ample, and run a little into the faſhionable
Humour of Harlequin, it would procure your
Papers attention from a great many Perfons,
eſpecially your Pulvillo and Effence Men,
whom I obferve taking them up, and laying
them down again immediately on the Coffee-
Houfe-Table, as foon as they have fmelt what
they call mufty Morality in the firft Line,
which perhaps they are afraid would give
them the Vapours, or at leaſt would diſagree
with the gentler Scents which they carry
about them.
WINTER is begun, at which Seafon it is
very uſual to pafs away a tedious Evening in
acting Proverbs. What I have done in giving
you theſe Advices, is no more than acting
Sus Minervam; and in that Senſe I hope
you will excuſe,
SIR,
Your humble Servant,
}
N. N.
No
N° 33:
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 265
N° 33°
Saturday, November 13, 1725.
To HIBERNICUS.
Ut funt Divorum, Mars, Bacchus, Apollo, Virorum.
LILL. Gram.
SIR,
W
manner.
HEN I read your Letter in the
laft Saturday's Journal, I was not
a little furprized to find Wonder,
and its moſt extraordinary Ob-
jects, treated in fo ludicrous a
Not that I think it improper to
apply Ridicule to the graveft Subject, that
being the beſt Teft to diftinguifh Truth from
Impoſture: But Wonder and Amazement
probably firſt gave rife to Devotion, and is
near allied to Curiofity, which begat Know-
ledge, and is therefore intitled to Refpect.
THE Appearance of Spirits and fuch
Airy Beings, feems to be an Opinion which
a Man thorowly Orthodox cannot fafely re-
ject. This I fhall endeavour to prove from
the Fathers, and other unquestionable Autho-
rities.
IF the Argument from univerfal Confent
has any weight, it is certain nothing deſerves
more
266 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
more to be ranked in the Claſs of innate Prin.
ciples than this Opinion does: For none has
been more univerfally received in all Ages
and Countries, than that of the Existence of
Spirits, and their frequent Appearance, and
Converſation with Mankind: Efpecially in
thoſe Countries where Men have been long-
eft guided by the Light of natural Reaſon,
where their Underſtandings have been leaſt
debauched by human Learning or vain Phi-
lofophy; ere deſigning Men found Profit, or
obtained Power from the prevalency of their
Doctrines; whilft the World was bleſſed with
Simplicity of Manners, and People thought
and acted according to the Dictates of pure
Nature.
THAT impure Spirits fhould in policy
approach us with Blandifhment and Gaiety, I
intirely agree with you; and that they actu
ally do fo, is manifeſt from the following
Authors, who were undoubtedly great Lights
in thoſe dark Ages, and fome of them had
their Knowledge at the fecond or third hand
from the Fountain-Head. As for Hobgoblins
and all frightful Apparitions, I freely give
them up.
Sr. Ambrofe writes, that the Antedilu-
vian Giants were begot by the Angels upon
Women, and that their Fall was owing to
that filthy Copulation. St. Chryfoftom, that
Women not only pulled Men but Angels
down from Heaven. Lactantius fays, that
the Devil had Power given him upon Earth
from
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 267
from the Beginning; for which Reaſon, when
Mankind multiplied, Providence fent Guar-
dian Angels to protect them, but that ſubtle
Deceiver made ufe of Women to defile thoſe
Angels. Juftin Martyr, Clemens Alexan-
drinus, and Tertullian impute the Angels Fall
to their Terreftrial Amours. St. Auguftin
thinks it cannot be doubted but that the
Fauni and Sylvani, vulgarly termed Incubi,
luſted after Women, and gratified thoſe Lufts
in Bodies put on for that Occafion; that there
were certain Demons among the Gauls, by
them called Dufii, (from whence, according
to Voffius, and other eminent Criticks, we
have the familiar Name of Duce) who daily
attempted and committed that Uncleannefs,
Pope Innocent VIII. in a Decretal Epiſtle,
commands his Inquifitors to execute their
Office on certain Heretical Women, who
fuffered themſelves to be defiled by Damons,
both Succubi and Incubi. A grave and learn-`
ed Author anfwers the Objection, which
fome make, of the impoffibility that fpiritual
Beings ſhould converfe with Women after the
manner of corporeal Beings, in the ordinary
way of Generation, thus, (I beg leave to
give it in his own words, as well for fear of
Ipoiling his excellent Senſe by a bad Tranſla-
tion, as to give my ingenious Friends in
Dublin College an opportunity of fhewing
their Parts to their inquifitive Female Ac-
quaintance) Dæmones non folum cum mulie-
ribus coire poſſe, fed etiam filios vere homi-
MOS
268
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
nes procreare, non virtute proprii feminis,
quod nullum ex feipfis habent, fed ope alicu-
jus hominis, quod ipfi maribus turpiter fuc-
cubantes exceperunt, exceptumque feminis
incubantes infundunt; ita (ut Auguft. de
Trinitate ait) difponente Deo, ne fit ille qui
nafcitur filius Damonis, fed filius illius bo-
minis a quo femen exceptum eft. He goes
on and fays, that evil Angels delight in-
Carnal Obscenities, only out of envy to the
Happineſs and Good of Mankind, and not
out of any fenfe of Pleaſure they have in
fenfual Enjoyments.
I WOULD not have your Fair Readers
imagine, that I have mentioned theſe Paſſages
with a view of being fevere upon the Sex, as
if all the Mifery of Men and Angels were
owing to their Delufions. No, I always en-
deavour to lean as light on them as poffi-
ble. The principal and moft obvious Infe-
rence which can fairly be drawn from thofe
Quotations, is, the irrefiftible Power of
Beauty, which conquers Men and Angels.
WE are told that formerly Pagan Ladies
often proved pregnant by Mars, Jupiter,
Pan, and fome other amorous Deities: the
Nymph to be ſure was furprized by the God,
in fome remote Shade or Fountain, and forced
after much vain Refiftance to an unwilling
Embrace. Nor could this be a contrivance
to excuſe the Effect of a guilty Paffion for
fome mortal Lover; for Demigods and He-
roes above the rank of Men, were the con-
ftant
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 269
ſtant Iſſue of thefe Rapes. How much more
then may we ſuppoſe that Dæmons (envious
and malicious Beings) take pleaſure in the
Spoils of Innocence and Beauty? For my
part, I don't queftion, but many a poor
Lady, who has loft her Reputation by a
dirty Footman, has been deluded by one of
theſe airy Raviſhers diſguiſed in a Livery.
I AM of the reverend Prelate's Opinion,
That Damons (unless they be very unnatu
ral ones indeed) do not much converſe with
the Old and Ugly. By what I can obferve,
Women in fuch circumftances are generally
as virtuous as any of the Sex. Nature has
too well fecured their Reputation from the
Malice of thofe invifible Gallants; as a learn-
ed Judge declared upon the Bench, There are
none but young Women Witches now-a-days.
I could produce numberlefs Quotations out
of facred and profane Authors, where Charms,
Fafcinations, and Inchantments, are charged
upon the Young and Handfom; Terms never
applied with any Elegance or Propriety to
Matrons above forty five. I appeal to every
unprejudiced Perfon, whether ever he per-
ceived any Magick in the Tongue or Eyes
of a Great Grandmother. One thing is
remarkable as to married Women, that few
Births or Miscarriages of theirs, either in
Pagan or Chriftian times, have been imputed
to theſe fupernatural Operations, unleſs the
Husband had been abfent in War, or on fome
other Occafion, for nine Months fucceffively,
270 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
1
-
as it happened in the cafe of Amphitryon:
however I think Jupiter acted a little oddly
in that matter, to affume a Shape which
nothing but his Omnipotence could make
him agreeable in. Whether Matrimony fe-
cures Women from the Attacks of thoſe
malicious Incubi, as Old Age does, by faving
their Reputation; or whether the Guardian-
fhip of thoſe Damons ceaſes, when the Rites
of Marriage are performed, I fhall not take
upon me to determine. But this I muſt ſay,
that if the above Hypothefis be true, it is
the higheſt Prudence and Virtue in every
young Lady, when fhe comes to the Age of
Maturity, to change her Guardian, I mean
her Damon, for a Husband. I could never
blame one who has been kept waiting, by the
Cruelty or Neglect of Parents, till fixteen;
if to avoid the Danger of ſuch unnatural Em-
braces, fhe threw herſelf into the Arms of the
firft mortal Man that asked her. Confider
how perillous muſt the Condition of a Maid
be, who carries her Enemy along with her
wherever she goes; he waits upon her in her
moſt private Retirement, whether at her
Toilette or Devotion; nor Locks nor Masks
can hide her from him; he hovers over her
Bed, fees every Motion, and knows every
Thought that heaves her fwelling Bofom; he
in the mean time always watching a lucky
Moment to undo her. I tremble when I
think of the fatal Confequences.
1
HIBERNIČU S's Letters. 271
Ir were to be wifhed indeed, that to pre-
vent any future unneceffary Confumption of
Old Women, the Interpreters of our Law
would reſtore the Act againſt Witchcraft to
its true and genuine Signification: That here-
after the Puniſhment may be inflicted on fuch,
as by Patching, Ogling, Smiling, Glancing,
and fuch like mischievous and diabolical Arti-
fices, endeavour to torment and deſtroy his
Majeſty's Male People. This is a growing
Evil, and ought to be timely prevented. The
Town is every day filling with Young Witch-
es. Unleſs fome are made Examples foon, it
will not be fafe to go to Church or Play-
Houſe, without a Wife, or ſome fuch Spell
or Antidote about one. But becauſe Com-
paffion often prevents the execution of Laws
which are very Penal; I humbly propoſe a
milder Puniſhment for this Offence. As in
fome Countries a Man who debauches a Vir-
gin, is obliged to marry her himſelf, or give
her fuch a Portion as may provide her a fuit-
able and convenient Husband; fo in the other
Cafe, where any Woman has been found guil-
ty of fuch wicked Practices, fhe might be
obliged to marry the Man, or to uſe other
proper
Means to reftore him to his former
Health and Tranquillity, at the election of the
injured Perfon; provided always, fhe be not
actually under Cover at the time of the Of
fence committed.
I am, Sir, yours, &c.
ACADEMICUS.
N° 34°
272 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
No 34. Saturday, November 20, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Humanius eft deridere vitam, quam deplorare; adjice,
quod de humano quoque genere melius meretur qui
ridet illud, quam qui luget.
S I R,
I
SEN.
HAVE ſeen in fome of your
former Papers a large Eſſay upon
Laughter, which gave me very
good hopes of your favourable
attention to a very heavy Com-
plaint I have to make of fome Grievances I
Ïabour under, arifing from a Cauſe of a very
oppofite Nature, and productive of widely
different Effects.
THERE is an unaccountable Humour
which prevails among fome Perfons profeffing
an extraordinary degree of Devotion and
Piety, of not only banishing out of their
own Converfation every thing of Mirth and
Gaiety, but impofing a diſmal Countenance,
and a referved, if not fullen Behaviour, upon
all their Acquaintance, as the fole Condition
of enjoying any fhare in their good Opinion.
A chearful Temper is with them a Mark of
want
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 273
want of Grace; and let a Man fhun all man-
ner of Wickedness as much as he can, he
ſhall never be thought fufficiently forrowful
for his Sins, unleſs he puts his Companions
to the trouble of repenting for them as well
as himſelf.
Ir has been my misfortune to refide for
ſome time, in the quality of Chaplain, with
a very Honourable and Religious Family,
but unhappily far gone in this Diftemper;
which has given me the more uneafineſs, as
I have always been my ſelf of a contrary
Difpofition. Nature has beftowed upon me
a florid Look, and a chearful Afpect; and
neither the Pleaſures nor Studies of my Youth
have been violent enough to make me pafs
for a more elderly grave Perfon than I really
am. For this reafon, all my Endeavours to
gather the Muſcles of my Face into a Form
which may render me acceptable to the Fami-
ly, have hitherto proved unfuccefsful. Not
but that the melancholy Circumſtances I am
in, have had already a very remarkable Effect
on my Countenance, and thrown a good
deal more of this outfide Sanctity into my
Viſage, than ever I expected to have beent
Maſter of. However, all this is not fuffi-
cient; a Man muſt look like one of the Fafts
of the Church, before his Piety can be ap
proved by thoſe I am concerned with. If
the cuſtomary Gloom which my Brow has
contracted fince I came among them, happens
at any time to be a little diffipated, I am
Vol. I.
T
imme-
274 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
immediately thought not to behave my ſelf
fuitably to the Sacred Character with which
I am inveſted. A harmleſs Jeft is fure to be
retorted, by reminding me of the Account
I am one day to give of every idle Word.
And a free Laugh would go near, in their
Opinion, to entitle me to Degradation.
IN all other refpects I have no manner of
reaſon to be diffatisfied with my Condition.
I am not treated, as I know feveral Gentle-
men of my Coat are in fome other Families.
There are no Injunctions laid upon me in
relation to Cuſtard and Tart. All the Ser
vants are taught to look upon me as one
they have no right to be familiar with; by
which means I am enabled to preferve an
exact Neutrality among them, and ſupport
my Character, without incurring the Neglect
or Ill-will of any of them. I am not under
any neceffity of currying Favour even with
the Butler. On all theſe accounts, I think
it my duty to try all the ways I poffibly can
to pleaſe ſo kind a Patron. I have fafted my
ſelf to a Skeleton, and am always provided
with a fufficient quantity of four Small Beer,
to give me the greater Air of Mortification.
Yet notwithſtanding all the Pains I am at,
there ſtill remain fo many unrelenting Fea-
tures in my Face, that I almoſt begin to de-
fpair of ever acquiring the Character of one
grave and ferious enough for a Clergyman,
unleſs I ſhould make love to my Lady's Gen-
tlewoman, whofe Perfon and Temper are
both
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 275
}
both admirably well calculated, not only for
putting a Man in mind of his latter End, but
making him wish for it too. But as I have
known feveral Gentlemen in my Station fall
under fome Inconveniences by this Method,
I do not think it would be altogether fo pru-
dent in me to follow the Example.
UNFORTUNATE as I am, in being thus
eſteemed a Perſon of too much Levity and
Supplénefs of Temper, there are none who
know me can reproach me with any thing
immoral or profane. And if I know my
own Heart, I am fo far from having the
leaft Averfion to Piety and Devotion, that
there is nothing in the World affords me
greater Joy, than that God has permitted
fuch an Intercourfe betwixt him and his Crea-
tures, and given them fuch great Encourage-
ment to carry it on. It gives me unfpeakable
Pleaſure, at the proper Seafons, to retire
from the World, and offer to my Creator
the filent Sacrifices becoming a Man and a
Chriftian. Nor am I lefs pleaſed, when I
obſerve my Fellow-Creatures joining toge-
ther with me in the fame Acts, in the pub-
lick Worthip and Offices of the Church. In
all this I can be fufficiently ferious, with-
out carrying foul Weather in my Counte-
nance; and know no reafon for putting on
a four Look, when I am employed in one
of the beſt Actions a rational Creature is
capable of.
T
WAN
276 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
WANT of Charity, I am very fenfible,
is highly criminal in every Cafe; and we
ought to be exceeding wary of accuſing any
Perſon of Hypocrify or Infincerity in their
religious Profeffions. Yet, I think, all extra-
ordinary Appearances of Devotion are juftly
liable to the Sufpicion of proceeding as much
from Humour, and the Mechaniſm of the
Body, as from a reaſonable and juſt Senfe
of Religion. And tho I have the moſt con-
vincing Evidence, that the Perfons whofe
Practice I am now complaining of are People
of true Religion and Virtue, yet feveral Öb-
ſervations I have made in our Family have
ferved to confirm me in the Opinion, that
our Devotion may frequently fpring from
Caufes very remote from them, and confe-
quently produce Effects which ought not to
be ascribed to them. I have often known
our Houſe grow more than ordinary reli-
gious during the long Continuance of an
Eaſterly Wind. A cloudy Day is conſtantly
fure to increaſe the Labours of my Function.
And I once remember, upon the Death of
my Lady's Lap-dog, there was a great Re-
trenchment of Luxury at the Table for up-
wards of a Week, during which whole time
we had almoſt no other Topick of Diſcourſe,
than the Vanity of all fublunary Enjoy-
ments.
AMONG other Arguments urged in de-
fence of this melancholy and auftere way of
Living, I think one of the principal is, that
<
1
the
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 277
the Confideration of our Mortality is very
neceſſary to wean our Hearts from the Fol-
lies of this World, and to induce us to the
Practice of Religion and Virtue; and that
fuch a Confideration cannot but give a great
Alarm to Human Nature, and ought to im-
preſs us with the deepeſt and moſt humbling
Senſe of our frail and tranfitory Condition.
I fhall allow this Argument its full Force.
He, muſt be ſomething more or less than
Man, who does not frequently and very
ſeriouſly too, confider himſelf as a mortal
Being, and who has not long to continue in
this World. But pray, where is the Connec-
tion betwixt ſeriouſly regarding our latter
End, and living as if we had our Grave-
Stone always before our eyes? Our buſineſs
here is to do all the Good we can, fo long
as it pleaſes God to lengthen out the Thread
of our Being; and this is not to be done, if
we muſt lie down and languiſh away in the
perpetual Contemplation of what it is not in
our power either to haften, or prevent. The
beft, indeed the only Preparation for Death,
is a virtuous Life; and there can be no Vir-
tue without Action, nor any Action truly
virtuous, which does not flow from a ready
and chearful Mind. As for that Preparation
for Death, which confifts in the conftant
frightful Meditation and Apprehenſion of it,
I cannot help thinking it fully as abfurd, as
it would be to fpend any Portion of our
Time in numbering the Sands of an Hour-
-
Glafo
278 HIBERNICUS's Letters,
Glaſs, or cafting up the Moments betwixe
one Point of Duration and another. How
ridiculous would it look in a Man to debar
himſelf of the Comforts and Decencies of
Life, in a Houſe which he only held by
a Leafe? And is not this a Cafe exactly
parallel with theirs, who make the ſhort-
nefs of Life an Argument for fpending it
either in a dull fpiritlefs Indifference, or in
continual Heart-breakings and Bitterneſs of
Soul?
ONE of my Profeffion can hardly forbear
remarking how feveral Paffages of Holy
Scripture are perverted, to juſtify this dif
confolate forrowful Temper of Mind. Be-
cauſe the Pfalmift, and ſome other Inſpired
Writers, when labouring under great Afflic-
tions both of Mind and Body, have diſcharg
ed their Grief in very pathetick and mourn-
ful Expreffions, this is no Reafon at all for
making fuch a kind of Behaviour a Teſt of
religious Seriouſneſs in thoſe who are not in
the like uncomfortable Circumftances. And
yet how often do we hear thoſe Accounts
of David's going about mourning all the
Day-long, Watering his Couch with his
Tears, and fuch like Expreffions of Grief,
given as Inftances proper to influence the
Practice of People now-a-days? This is a
very unworthy way of dealing with the
Scriptures; fince there is nothing more evi-
dent, from the whole Tenor of them, than
that the contrary Difpofition is rather re-
commended
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 279
commended as a Chriſtian Duty. Praife is
one of the moſt effential parts of divine Wor-
ſhip; and how that can be rightly performed
without Joy and Gladnefs of Heart, I am
utterly at a loſs to diſcover, and no leſs to
conceive how fuch a Frame of Mind can
accompany our Devotions, and yet produce
nothing but a profound Sadnefs and fettled
Gloom in every other Action of Life.
For
MANY excellent Things have I read, and
heard upon the Subject of refigning ourſelves
to the diſpoſal of Providence, and being con-
tent with that ſtate of Life in which it had
placed us, as the Character both of a Chrif
tian and Heroick Spirit. Now, I am fure,
there can be no better proof given of fuch a
Spirit, than what a free unclouded Behaviour,
and pleaſant Converſation afford us.
how is it poffible for a Mind to find it felf
at Eafe and Tranquillity, without diſcharg-
ing fome part of that Joy with which it is
filled? And can there be a furer Sign, that
Men truly and perfectly acquiefce in their
own Condition, than when by their agree-
able Humour they endeavour to divert the
Cares of others, and contribute to the Eafe
and Delight of thoſe with whom they con-
verſe ?
IF all this fhould not be able to prevail
with ſome ſerious People to be pleaſant
themſelves, it ſhould at least influence them
to make ſome charitable allowances for thoſe
of a more blithe and jocund Conſtitution;
TA
who,
280 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
who, confidering the many Sorrows we are
all expofed to in this World, may be very
fafely indulg'd the liberty of a little Relax-
ation from the Labour of thinking conſtant-
ly on the more folemn and important Con-
cerns of Life. To encourage and chear Men
under their Difficulties, is certainly a much
better Method, than to ruffle their Minds by
an over-frequent ftirring up the Remembrance
of them. That we are all fubject to Miſery,
is but too fure; yet fince a great part of
our Mifery rifes from our own Reflection,
it is more agreeable to Humanity to endea-
vour to divert the Thoughts, and heal the
Wounds of Mankind, than by a perpetual
dolorous Afpect, and melancholy Speeches,
make their Diſeaſes more vifible and affect-
ing.
I SUBMIT all this, with due Deference, to
your Confideration; and am,
Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
TIMOTHY SCARF.
ધ
i
Në
35.
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 281
N°
35.
Saturday, November 27, 1725.
To HIBERNICUS.
Quodcunque oftendis mihi fic, incredulus odi.
HOR.
SIR,
HAVE always had the utmoſt
regard for the Stage in general,
and for juſt Actors in particular:
I confider a good Tragedy, found-
ed upon Truth, as a fine Hiftori-
cal Piece, beautifully reprefented in a moving
Picture, which I think infinitely fuperior to
the Still-life of mere Hiſtory, not only as
it has the advantage of Motion, but becauſe
a good Poet can make uſe of ſeveral lively
Colours, which the Hiftorian, by the Cha-
racter of his Profeffion, is forbid to uſe: And
when I fee a good number of felect Come-
dies acted fucceffively, I frame them in my
Mind, fo as to make out of them all one
Grotefque Miniature of the Humour of the
World. In this contemplation of the Stage,
I have often reflected on Fontenelle's Wiſh,
To ftand fufpended in Air, and fee the Globe
turn round under him, that he might have
a varying Proſpect of Croſſes and Čreſcents,
I
rocky
282 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
rocky Defarts and fruitful Valleys, Turbants
and full bottom'd Wigs, Negroe Women and
European Beauties. This Pleaſure, which
he only enjoy'd in Imagination, we poffefs
in Reality, by a conftant Attendance on a
Series of Comedies: For there we are en-
tertain'd with a circular Repreſentation. of
Men of Bravery, and of Bullies, Pedants and
Beaux, Prudes and Coquets, fuperannuated
Toaſts, and blooming Beauties.
As for juft Actors, I have a great eſteem
for them, and cannot but highly blame the
unreaſonable treatment given to that Pro-
feffion in fome Countries abroad, where they
excommunicate the Player, and fave the
Poet. I dare fay, none of them are defirous
of raifing uneafy Bluſhes in the Cheeks of
their fair Spectators, if the Author did not
oblige them to it: And I will venture to
affirm in their names, that if thefe Nations
abounded with STEELES, every Man of
Senſe among them would chufe to be a
BEVIL rather than a DON JOHN. I
acknowledge my felf highly indebted to
fome of them for the little Advantages which
my Friends tell me I have in point of Geſture
at the Bar, above other Men of Underftand-
ing and Learning, at least equal to mine;
and I fhall ever remember with a publick-
fpirited Gratitude, that Rome owed Cicero in
a great meaſure to Rofcius, and England,
one of its moſt famous Pulpit-Orators to Mr.
Betterton.
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 283
AFTER the great Regard which I have
expreffed for the Stage, I believe no body
will be furprized, if I tell them that my
Concern for the Decency and Dignity of the
Theatre (when I fee any thing mifmanaged
there) diſcompofes me all the rest of the
Evening, and fometimes even difturbs my
Sleep. Laft night in particular, at my return
from the Play-houfe, there came into my
mind a croud of Reflections on ſeveral things
I had obferved to be faulty (at leaſt to my
Taſte) at different times; and they blended
themſelves in fuch a manner in my head,
that when I went to bed, they wrought
themſelves into the following Dream.
I THOUGHT I was in Pluto's Dominions,
and ſtanding near his Tribunal, when, on
a fudden, I ſaw a great Croud approaching
in a very tumultuous manner: I enquired of
fome of them what the matter was, and
they told me they were bringing fome Com-
plaints, occafioned by an Account which
Mercury had lately given them, of Indigni-
ties offered them upon the Stage in the Upper-
World. This having raiſed my Curiofity, I
preffed in among them to hear; and the firſt
Perfon who fpoke was Alexander, who for
himſelf, and in the names of feveral other
Heroes, complained that they were fome-
times perfonated by Actors of a Size and
Shape entirely different from theirs; and
that he, in particular, had often been repre-
ſented by One who was big enough to hold
him
284 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
him in his Belly; fo that they who were
unacquainted with Hiftory, might miſtake
him for a corpulent Dutch Burgomafter,
inſtead of an active Hero: To which he
added, that they made him, and other Wor-
thies of Antiquity, wear a certain kind of
an Hair-buſh upon their Heads, which hung
down in a very uneafy manner below their
fhoulders, and entirely fpoiled their martial
Air. Upon this, Pluto told him, that he
was a very improper Perſon to head the
Malecontents in relation to New Fashions,
confidering that he in his Life-time had ex-
changed the Macedonian Dreſs for a Per-
fian; but that however, out of regard to his
Merit in other refpects, he would not reject
his Complaint.
NEXT came a Troop of Queens and
Heroines, led by the auftere Porcia, who
ſpoke with great Vehemence againſt a fan-
taftical part of Drefs, which (as the waggiſh
Mercury had informed them) made them
every one look like a Witch in a Circle.
When Queen Elizabeth, who stood at a
diſtance from the Plaintiffs, heard this, ſhe
came up to the Tribunal; and as ſhe is very
familiar with Pluto upon account of her un-
common good Senfe and Wit, fhe whiſper-
ed fomething in his Ear, which made him
fmile in fpite of his Gravity; upon which
he turned about to Porcia, and told her,
That if he had lived in this Age, She
might perhaps have found that Machine
verv
HIBERNICUSs's Letters. 285
very convenient, and (ſaid he) if it has any
Fault, it is only the want of a larger Cir-
cumference at the Top, fuch as the GOOD
QUEEN tells me was worn in her -
GOLDEN DAYS. As for the Circular
Figure of it, he defired them to be under
no concern about that; for he was credibly
informed that it gave them fuch a Magical
Air, as he could affure them did them no
differvice.
THIS Raillery (confidering whom it
came from) raifed fuch a Laughter, that the
whole Affair had like to have dropt, if 1moin-
da had not advanc'd, who reprefented to
Pluto, that this was no Subject of Merriment
to any of thoſe who were daily killed at the
Theatre; and that for her
and that for her part, the aforefaid
Machine had fuch an ill Effect once, when
her Repreſentative fell dead on a certain
Stage, that if her Oroonoko had not had the
preſence of Mind to tread on the Circle of
her Petticoat, fhe fhould have been in fuch
confufion, that ten to one fhe would never
have been able to get up again. In fhort
(added fhe) with her agreeable fimplicity,
and tears in her eyes, If you have any re-
gard to our Honour and Reputation, correct
this Abuſe, that no young Fop in the Pit may
any more have reafon to boaft that he knows
the colour of Imoinda's Garters.
PLUTO bit his Lips heartily, to pre-
vent debafing his judicial Gravity, by a loud
Laughter: And for fear of hearing any more
Complaints
286 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Complaints which might force one at laſt from
him, he immediately called Mercury, and
ordered him to carry up the following Regu-
lations to the Players, upon pain of being
torn by the Chimara whenever they came
down to his Dominions.
I. THAT no Hero, eſpecially Alexander,
Shall have a big Belly.
II. THAT the Play-Houfe Taylor hall
apply for Information of the Faſhions of the.
feveral Ages, to the Antiquaries.
III. THAT the Stage-Barber, whom the
prefent Age calls Wig-maker, ſhall ſupply
thofe who have no Hair of their own, with
Something inftead of it, which shall look like
Hair.
IV. And Laſtly. THAT if the Mock-
Queens and Heroines are unwilling to part
with their Circle-Petticoats, at least they
hall take due care, out of regard to the
Memory of those whom they reprefent, to
fall with their Heads towards the Pit.
As foon as Mercury had received thefe
Regulations, he ftamped fo loud with his
Foot againſt the Ground, in order to bound
upwards with greater Activity, that I awaked,
and found the Noife was really occafioned
by a litigious Widow thumping early at
my Door, to confult me about a much gra-
ver Affair.
Ir
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Letters. 287
If you are not fallen aſleep over this tedi-
ous Dream, give me leave to affure you,
that I am with fincerity,
SIR, Tours, &c.
N. N.
P. S. As I am a free Batchelor, owe no
Debts, and eat no Suppers, my
Dreams may
challenge fome Title to Veracity: If they
have the good fortune to pleaſe you, you
fhall, whenever you pleaſe, command my
fleeping Thoughts, as fome fmall return for
the agreeable Inftructions which your Papers
afford me when I am awake.
N° 36.
Saturday, December 4, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Jonrnal.
Ebeu,
Quam temere in nofmet legem fancimus iniquam! HoR.
SIR,
I
NSENSIBILITY of the Opi-
nions the World about us may
have concerning our Behaviour and
Conduct, is certainly a very dan-
gerous Thing, as it deprives us of
one of the moſt powerful Motives to virtuous
Action, difcovers an infolent Contempt of
Mankind,
288 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Mankind, and lays us open and unguarded
againſt every tumult of Paffion, or extrava-
gance of Defire. The beſt therefore, and
moſt inoffenſive Difpofitions are uſually the
moft fubject to the Paffion of Shame, and feel
the greateſt uneafinefs at falling under Re-
proach and Calumny. And wife Men, how-
ever fenfible that Fame is but an imaginary
Bleffing, will yet endeavour to get into pof
feffion of it, on account of the greater Op-
portunities it affords them of exerting their
Wiſdom and Virtue. For let the moral or in-
tellectual Qualities of Men be as good and as
great as they will, unleſs the World knows,
or believes them to be fo, they can be of but
very little, if any fervice at all to Mankind;
and the Poffeffors of them, tho otherwife ca-
pable of the nobleft and moſt generous Under-
takings, muſt paſs thro' Life, without leaving
any viſible footſteps of their Goodneſs behind
them.
THIS Circumftance of human Affairs fhould
be a very ſtrong Argument with thoſe who
pretend to the fmalleft portion of Publick
Spirit, to be exceeding tender and careful of
the Character and Reputation of their Neigh-
bours, and to put the beſt Conſtruction on all
their Actions they poffibly will bear; fince
by doing ſo they give to Multitudes what at
once animates their Virtue, and puts them in
capacity for exerciſing it. And ſurely to ge-
nerous Minds, there cannot be a more power-
ful Motive to any Action, than the confide-
ration,
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 289
ration, that our doing it has a direct tendency
at once to make Men in love with Virtue, and
enable them to purſue it.
*
AND as, on the other hand, nothing is
more uſual than for Men who happen to fall
under Detraction, and a general Difrepute,
to grow weary of Virtue, and take up Refo-
lutions of committing in reality the Crimes
which are falfly laid to their charge; there
does not feem a more effectual Method for
Perfons of a malevolent Difpofition to compaſs
their Ends, than the Practice of thoſe little
underhand Arts which leffen the Characters of
Men, and render them fufpected by their
Neighbours. Man is both a proud and a re-
vengeful Creature. The Seeds of Wrath and
Refentment are plentifully fown in our natural
Temper. And there are no Injuries which
touch us ſo fenfibly as thofe that affect our
Reputation, and the Figure we imagine our
felves capable of making among Mankind.
Any attempts therefore to diminish that, muſt
neceſſarily raiſe ill Blood; and unleſs our Vir-
tue be very great indeed, and well fecured by
good Senfe and Reflection, it is a great ha-
zard, but to be revenged on the World that
has thus injured us, we pay it back in its
own Coin, and barter away our Innocence,
out of pure Spite at the Injuftice which has
been done us. And in Cafes where Men
have been really culpable, I believe the Ob-
fervation will generally hold, that Cenfure,
Vol. I.
inſtead
U
290 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
inſtead of reforming them, only changes mat-
ters from bad to worfe.
NOTWITHSTANDING thefe obvious ill
Effects which flow from fuch a Practice, it is
certain, there are very many People in the
World, who, tho in the main ftrictly virtu-
ous and Lovers of Mankind, yet are too apt
to judge uncharitably of the Conduct of their
Neighbours, take great pleaſure in ripping up
their Faults, and publish in a very indiſcreet
manner not only their Vices, but even their
Blind-fides and Imperfections. Tea-Tables are
not the only Places where Scandal is uttered
with licence. There are few Companies can
paſs away an Evening together, without ta-
king to pieces fome Character or other, and
raifing each others Spleen againſt an abſent,
and very often an innocent Perfon. The
Zealots of different Sects in Religion, and
Parties in the State, Competitors in Trade,
Rivals for a Miſtreſs, or Perfons any o-
therwiſe diſguſted, are ufually the People
who begin this edifying kind of Conver-
fation; and by dropping ungenerous Hints
and little Stories of their Antagoniſts, endea-
vour to prejudice the Company againſt them.
This is what generally ſtarts the Game; and
there are to be found People ill-natured enough
to purſue it for no other End than their Di-
verfion.
A VERY fmall degree of Reflection might
ſerve Men upon fuch occafions to diſcover,
that
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
291
that very little Credit is due to any Facts de-
livered by Perfons in ſuch circumſtances, and
in that manner; and that no Man's Chara-
eter ought to fuffer upon fuch flender and un-
certain Information. And therefore to re-
peat and propagate private Scandal, fhews great
Weakneſs, as well as much Ill-nature. IfMat-
ters are rightly examined, we fhall frequently
find, that Men talk ill of their Neighbours,
not fo much from any knowledge of their bad
Qualities, as pure ignorance of their good
ones. For true Virtue is always accompanied
with great Modefty, and loves to conceal it ſelf.
And hence Men may entertain very bad Opi-
nions of thoſe who are very far from deferving
them. Many Men have been flighted and de-
fpifed, even hated, and run down in all Com-
panies, by People who have afterwards turn-
ed their great Admirers. The preſent Age
has produced more than one or two great Mi-
nifters, who in their Life-time were treated
with no better Titles than Plunderers of the
Publick, Betrayers of their Country, and the
like, who yet have been univerfally regretted
at their Death. It happens not ſeldom, that
Perfons who have induftrioufly fhunn'd the
Company of each other for a long time, which
certainly muſt have proceeded from a very
ftrong mutual Averfion and Difeſteem, have
at leaſt been mollified, and become very en-
tire and intimate Friends. And I have known
more than once a young Lady for years to-
gether rail in all places againſt a Gentleman,
U
with
292 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
with whom he has afterwards lived very
comfortably in the quality of a Wife, and has
found her greateſt Happineſs in the fole pof-
feffion of a Heart, wherein fhe would once
have had it believ'd, there did not lodge fo
much as any one Virtue; and all this to make
amends for the horrid things fhe was every
moment laying to his charge.
FROM thefe Confiderations we may not
only perceive the ill tendency of unjuſt Cen-
fure in general, but alſo arm our felves againſt
an over Credulity of all thofe little Tattles
and Whiſpers, which make up the Converfa-
tion of envious or idle People. If there be
evident Signs of Spite and Ill-Nature either
in the Authors or the Carriers of any unhand-
fome Report, I am fure that is a juft Rea-
fon to ſuſpect the Truth of it. And in fome
of the Inftances given it is plain, that Jealoufy
may give birth to Scandal, and that People
fometimes talk flightingly of a Man not out
of Ill-will, but over-great Fondneſs, and a
Defire to monopolize him themſelves. So
that fince both Love and Hatred are capable
of producing mifreprefentations of Mens Acti-
ons and Characters, we ought to have much
better Proofs than Table-Talk, and general
Difcourfes, before we entertain an ill Opinion
of any of our Fellow Creatures.
•
COMMON Fame, like all other Babblers,
is very notorious for lying; and the beſt and
worthieſt Part of Mankind are generally the
greateſt Sufferers by her. The lazy and indo-
lent
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 293
lent Part of the Species, eſpecially if they be
People of Fortune, come off well enough, and
pafs thro' Life with what is called a fair and
unblemiſh'd Character, purely on account of
their being worthlefs; for an unactive Vir-
tue, which does neither good nor hurt, de-
ferves no better Epithet. But Men of Vigour
and Spirit, who are active in the Affairs of
Mankind, and endeavour to fignalize them-
felves by Enterprizes of Difficulty and Ha-
zard, having many Competitors, and being
expofed to the full View of the World, are
the People who the fooneſt fall under the Laſh
of wicked and licentious Tongues. Little
Minds love to be Spies upon thofe of a fupe-
rior Genius, and peep into their private Con-
duct, for the Leachery of finding out fome
Fault there, which may reduce them to a Le-
vel with themſelves; and if a Blemish is not
to be found, Envy and Malice will foon make
one. Agreeable hereunto we find, that Peo-
ple of the loweſt Size both of Virtue and Un-
derſtanding are moſt addicted to Detraction
and Scandal. And as the general Characters
of Men depend upon the Vulgar, a general
Character, efpecially if a vitious one, has the
fame degree of Improbability for being true,
as there is that an expoſed Infant ſhould not
be a Baftard; both being the Product of un-
known Fathers, and taken up from the Street.
BUT over and above the Injuftice that may,
and frequently is done to Men by an over-
hafty Cenfure of their Actions, or liftening to
U 3
the
294 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
the Reports of Whiſperers and Tale-bearers
againſt them, we really do an Injury to our
felves by giving into fo little and low a Practice,
For the fame Liberties we take with others,
we neceffarily give to them. This holds true
in all Crimes, but eſpecially in this. A Thief,
or a Murderer may happen to fecure himſelf
againſt Reprizals, but a Slanderer cannot;
and the beſt of Men have a great many Frail-
ties, and have committed many Errors and
Slips, which they would be very unwilling
the World ſhould be acquainted with. To be
tender of the Reputation of others, is there-
fore one of the beft Methods we can take to
go thro' the World with a fair one our felves.
I have read in Sir John Chardin, a faying of
a Perfian Philofopher, which I have always
been exceedingly pleaſed with. The World,
fays the Eaſtern Sage, is an Echo, which re-
turns us our own Words; for which reaſon,
if we would be well ſpoken of in the World,
we must speak well of others. This wife Ob-
fervation daily Experience confirms; and no
fort of People have their Faults fo greedily
picked up, or fo unrelentingly publiſhed, as
thoſe who have been remarkable for their Se-
verity upon the Reputation of other Men.
They are looked upon as common Enemies;
and Revenge fecms meritorious in fo publick
a Quarrel. It must be owned, that this is
fometimes profecuted with too much Rancour,
and indecent Triumph; yet when Men are
evidently the Caufes of their own Misfor-
tunes,
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 295
tunes, it is not poffible to forbear thinking
they deſerve them.
If we look into our own Hearts, and re-
flect on the Courſe of our paſt Lives, moſt of
us will find more to do in correcting the Er-
rors of our own Ways, than in being Spies
and Obfervators on thofe of our Neighbours.
We may alſo obſerve, that many of our Acti-
ons have been blamed by others, which deſer-
ved no fuch Uſage, and fprung from very
honeſt and worthy Motives; and again, that
we have been ſometimes very much to blame
for Actions, which inftead of Cenfure, have
been followed with Approbation and Applauſe.
The Knowledge of this, and the Reflection
on the Impoffibility there is of our knowing
the Deſigns and Thoughts of other Men,
fhould incline us to put the beſt Senfe we pof-
fibly can upon their Actions, and Behaviour;
fince for ought we know, many Actions, which
at first fight bear no very good Afpect, may
have been the Effect of virtuous and manly
Intentions. And as all human Virtue has fome
mixture of Allay, and good Men may, thro'
the Violence of fome fudden Guſt of Paffion,
run into great Eſcapes and Inadvertences, we
ought to make fuitable allowances on that
ſcore. For Men are not to be denominated
virtuous or vitious, on the account of one or
two Actions, but the general Courfe and Te-
nor of their Conduct. If every deviation
from Virtue, or deflection towards Vice, were
to affect the whole of a Man's Character, we
U
4
muſt
296 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
muſt all look on one another as Monſters ;
and there will be an end of all Eſteem, and
confequently Commerce and Confidence a-
mong Mankind.
Ir is not to be expected, that any thing
here faid ſhould prevail on thoſe who are a-
bandoned to a malevolent and envious Diſpo-
fition, to change their Natures, and become
generous, humane and charitable. But good
Men, in their Zeal for Virtue, are fometimes
apt to offend in this Point; and it is of uſe
+ to precaution againſt it. As for thoſe who
would have their whole Fund of Difcourfe
taken from them, if they were kept up from
retailing fcandalous Stories, and making mar-
ket of their Neighbours Infirmities, I could
wiſh there were fome Method found out for
gratifying their Spleen, without injuring the
Living. I have fometimes thought, that for
this purpoſe, it might not be improper to give
them their full fwing among the Dead; and
recommend to them the Study of Hiſtory,
eſpecially Ecclefiaftical, wherein they would
meet with all the Materials for their Uſe they
could poffibly defire. But this being a Point
great Importance, I fhall leave it to the
Confideration of the Learned,
of
I am,
Sir, Tours, &c.
HIBERNICUs.
N° 37
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 297
N° 37
Saturday, December 11, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Perfarum te veftis & difciplina delectat; patrios mo-
res exofus es.
Q. CURTIUS.
SIR,
N
O Man who truly loves his Coun-
try, can poffibly be indifferent in
any thing relating to its Trade
and Commerce, which, in the
preſent Circumftances of human
Affairs, are ſo abſolutely neceffary to render
any Country great and flouriſhing, and en-
able its Inhabitants to live in Eafe and Com-
fort.
WHOEVER looks into the State of Ire-
land, muft confider it in two Refpects; both
as it is the Habitation of a numerous and
free People, obliged to confult the Preſerva-
tion and Happineſs of themſelves, and like-
wife as a Colony of another great and power-
ful Nation, upon whom they depend for
Protection, and confequently whoſe Intereſt
ought to be confidered, and taken due care
of, in all Undertakings for its particular Be-
hoof and Advantage. So that every publick
Deſign
298 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Deſign in this Kingdom, before any honeft
Man can embark in it, muft carry with it
not only the Evidence of Advantage to our
felves, but alſo that the Execution of it will
not be inconfiftent with the Profperity and
Happineſs of Great Britain, in the fafety
whereof our own is fo plainly and immediate-
ly involved.
THO I have not Vanity enough to think
my ſelf capable of finding out the propereft
Methods to promote both thefe Ends, yet
I cannot help imagining, that it would be
one of the moſt effectual Ways we could
take for that Purpoſe, to put on a general
Refolution to encourage our own Manufac-
turês, by making them our common Wear,
preferably to thoſe which are brought at great
Expence from diftant Countries, and are
neither better nor finer than our own, any
farther than the high Price they ſell át ſerves
to fhew a luxurious and profufe courſe of
Living; the Reputation of which is what
the vain and unthinking Part of Mankind
place their higheſt Felicity in.
IF Authorities could be of any weight in
the Cafe, (and if they be in any, they ought
furely in this, the Rules laid down by wife
experienc'd Men being of great ufe in all
matters of Oeconomy) it were not hard to
prove, that all wife Nations, both antient
and modern, have efteemed the Retrenchment
of Luxury in Apparel, as well as in Living,
one of the fureſt Methods for advancing the
Publick
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 299
Publick Good. In antient Greece, and Rome,
Frugality and Moderation were among the
moft reputable Qualities, and what princi-
pally denominated a Man a good Citizen.
A ſumptuous Habit was always looked upon
as a Mark of criminal Effeminacy; and no-
thing rendered a Man more obnoxious to
publick Cenfure, than following the Modes
of other Nations, even when the Materials
of their Clothing were of a home Growth
and Manufacture. A plain Evidence, that
the wife Men and Law-givers of thoſe Na-
tions apprehended the Encouragement of Me-
chanick Arts among themſelves to be of the
laft importance to the State, when they were
fo careful to imprefs their People with diſlike
and abhorrence of thofe Ways of Living,
which had the remoteft tendency to the con-
trary, It is true, thofe States did at length
abate of their ftrictneſs in this Point; but it
is no leſs true, that they no fooner did ſo,
than they gradually funk from that height
of Glory and Empire to which the Virtue of
their Anceſtors had raiſed them, till at last
they became a Prey to thoſe barbarous Na-
tions, whofe Manufactures they wore, and
whoſe Luxury they imitated. Before the
Days of Alexander the Great, the wearing
of foreign Silks was a thing unheard of in
Greece; and it is recorded to his Dishonour,
that he was the first Innovator himſelf, ha-
ving always before he became debauched
vith the Perfian Effeminacy, habited himſelf
in
300 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
in Stuffs wrought with his Mother's own
Hands. For in thofe unpolite Ages, Tea-
Tables not yet having been erected, it was
cuſtomary for the greateſt Ladies to employ
themſelves in Spinning and fuch like Occu-
pations and in the Laws of our own Coun-
try, the Memory of this Cuſtom ſeems ſtill
to be retained, by calling every Woman un-
der the degree of Nobility by no higher
Title than Spinfter; whereas in Fact there
will not be found one Woman in a hundred
in theſe Nations, that ever once deſcended to
fo low an Employment.
AMONG all the modern Nations which
have aggrandized themſelves by Navigation
and Commerce, it is a conftant Maxim to
confume as few foreign Commodities among
themſelves as poffibly they can, and to be-
come only Carriers of fuch things, to ſupply
the Luxury of other Nations. Of this our
Neighbours the Dutch are a great and illuf-
trious Inftance, who, by a fteddy purſuit of
that Maxim, have made a barren Strand,
fcarce equal in Extent, and vaſtly inferior in
native Value to a fourth part of this King-
dom, the richeſt, the most populous, and
flouriſhing Spot of Ground in the Univerfe;
and this too under the Inconvenience of fuch
a Soil and Climate, and even Conftitution of
Government, as affords not many Invitations
to People who love their Eafe, or have any
thing of Delicacy in their Tafte of Life and
its Enjoyments.
AND
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 301
AND the Reaſon of this great Increaſe of
Power and Wealth in Holland, is certainly
their Frugality of Management, in ſelling to
a much greater Value than what they buy;
confuming no more foreign Commodities
themſelves than what are abfolutely ne-
ceffary for their Subfiftence, or elſe what
very little exceeds that Quantity; and fending
the Surplus to their Neighbours, who muft
either make them Returns in Specie, or what
will turn to it in the long Run. For as the
true way for a private Man to grow rich is
to make his Expences fall fhort of his In-
come; fo Nations that would thrive by
Trade, muft order it fo that their Exports
fhall be greater than their Imports for their
home Confumption, otherwife they never
will be Gainers upon the Ballance. But this
Argument being fet in a very good Light, by
that great Stateſman Sir William Temple, in
his Obfervations on the United Provinces,
I fhall give it in his own words.
IT is no conftant Rule, that Trade makes
Riches; for there may be a Trade that im-
poverishes a Nation: As it is not going often
to Market, that enriches the Countryman;
but, on the contrary, if every time he comes
there, he buys to a greater Value than he
fells, he grows the poorer, the oftner he
goes:
But the only and certain Scale of Riches,
arifing from Trade in a Nation, is the pro-
portion of what is Exported for the Con-
Sumption of others, to what is Imported for
their nam
In
302 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
If this be fo, then it is evident there
cannot be a furer, nor at the fame time a
more eaſy Method of making Trade advan-
tageous to a Nation, than fupporting and
encouraging its own Manufactures; fince
hereby it not only faves the neat Expence
which would ariſe from the Purchaſe of foreign
Manufactures to be made ufe of in the lieu
of them, but is enabled to make Profit of its
own Exports.
No People in the World have greater
Reaſon than we in this Country to fall into
this Method. Some Branches of our own
Manufacture we are not enabled to carry to
foreign Markets, but yet might make them
turn to good account at home, if we could
be prevailed on to fave the Expence of pur-
chafing them abroad at a much dearer Rate,
and no better than our own. The Linen
Manufacture has been brought to great Per-
fection among us; and as we export con-
fiderable Quantities of it yearly, it would
be exceeding beneficial to the Publick, did
not our Luxury in wearing foreign Linens
bring a great Drawback on the Profits; and
thefe foreign Linens, being bought chiefly
with ready Money, and not Commodities,
and for that Reaſon charged by the Wiſdom
of the Legiſlature with high Duties, are
generally run into the Country by Smugglers,
and ſo prove a Dead Lofs to the Nation,
without any manner of Advantage to his
Majeſty's Revenue. The making of Silks
ދ
has
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 303
1
has alſo of late Years been fet up here with
good Succeſs; and I have ſeen feveral Pieces
of them, which, to my Eye, appeared full
as rich and gloffy as Indian Silks of a much
greater Price, and, I have been informed,
wear full as well. Every Pound of Raw-
Silk, thus manufactured, will, upon an Ave-
rage, employ a Labour not to be purchaſed
under one Pound Sterling; and the Raw-Silk
being bought with our own Produce and
Manufacture, fuch as Hides, Tann'd-Leather,
and the like, as the Indian Wrought-Silks
are with ready Money, and run in upon us
too from France or Holland, it will be found
by a very fair and moderate Calculation, that
the Difference betwixt wearing a Suit of Iriſh
or Indian Silk is not lefs than three times the
Price, whatever that be, in the Account of
the Profit or Lofs accruing to the Nation.
THE only true Way therefore to encou-
rage our Manufactures, will be to wear them
our felves. By this means we fave Money in
Articles of things not exportable, and gain
by thoſe which are. All other Methods,
however plauſible in the Theory, are apt to
fail when they come to Practice. Sumptuary
Laws have ſeldom been found fuccefsful, the
Execution of them being fo extremely harfh
and ungracious. Prohibitions, or high Duties
amounting to Prohibitions, we daily fee have
no effect. For Pride and Vanity only be-
come more violent by being reſtrained, and
are beſt pleaſed when gratified with Difficulty
and
304 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
and at great Expence, the whole Pleaſure of
Extravagance confifting in the Thought that
few People can come up to the like. Be-
fides, the exorbitant Gains to be made in
fuch Cafes work too powerfully upon mean
and diſhoneſt Minds, to hinder them from
fupplying our Luxury, at any hazard to them-
felves, and to the ruin of the Publick. Even
all the Rewards our Legiflators have offered
to Induſtry, and the Diſcouragements given
to Idleneſs and Extravagance, have not fully
anſwered the Ends propofed by them. And
the Wisdom of the Nation has been fo fenfi-
ble of this, that the Additional Duties on
Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate, have been very
prudently appropriated to raiſe a Fund for
the better Support of the Hempen and Linen
Manufactures, as a farther Difcouragement
to Negligence and Prodigality, and to make
them who will not work themſelves, contri-
bute to the Maintenance of thoſe that muſt.
A Law, which has abundance of Legiſlative
Satire in it, and has been exceedingly uſeful
to the Publick; fince tho it has not put
down many Tea-Tables, it has fet up a vaſt
number of Looms, which it muſt be our
own fault, if they are not employed with
great Profit and Advantage to the Nation.
But be our Laws ever fo good, unleſs
care be taken to have them obey'd, they
will be to very little purpoſe. A Senator
may vote for the Encouragement of our
Manufactures as long as he pleaſes in the
Parliament-
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 305
Parliament-Houſe; but if he has not Autho-
rity enough in his own to make the Refo-
lution pafs there without Oppofition, he has
done but a ſmall part of his Duty. And for
that Reaſon the peculiar Zeal of our Repre-
ſentatives in this Matter can never be fuffi-
ciently commended, nor too much endear
them to all true and fincere Lovers of their
Country.
OUR Bufinefs is to purfue their Example.
And if we have any degree of Tenderneſs
for our Fellow-Subjects and Countrymen, or
Regard for the general Welfare, we muſt
think our felves highly concerned to do fo.
Ill-Nature is what few Men care for being
thought guilty of, or would not reckon it a
Reproach, if they were charged with it;
yet many People, who in the ordinary Com-
merce of Life difcover the moſt kind and
benevolent Difpofition, for want of Confide-
ration, are every day doing Things which in
their confequences are equal to Cruelty and
Barbarity. We fhould think that Man very
inhumane, who fhould refufe to relieve a de-
ſerving Perſon, at a ſmall expence, from great
Mifery; and yet without remorfe we can
fquander away ten, twenty, or thirty Pounds
for a Suit of Clothes, the very buying of
which has a tendency to fill our Streets with
miferable Objects. It is a very odd fort of
Charity, which relieves a few Beggars with
Farthings, and lays out Pounds to reduce
whole Multitudes of honeſt laborious People
Vol. I.
X
to
306 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
In
to the fame Condition: yet that is truly the
Cafe with thoſe who deprive their own
Country of the Benefit arifing from the Con-
fumption of its Manufactures, which every
one does, who without any neceffity fur-
niſhes himſelf from a foreign Market.
vain do we erect Charity-Schools, and give
very generous Annual Contributions for the
Education of poor Children, and putting
them out to Trades, if after we have done
fo much for them, we neglect encouraging
thofe Callings from whence we intend they
fhould derive their Maintenance. This is to
give them a Stone inftead of Bread, and a
Serpent instead of a Fish; and it were a
much greater piece of Humanity to leave
them in their primitive hopeleſs State, than
raiſe them up into a fruitless Expectation, and
fuffer them to perish in it: the bitter Reflec-
tion on which is what, I doubt not, has dri-
ven many fine but unquiet Spirits into de-
Iperate Courſes, and brought them to an un-
timely and unfortunate End.
I am, Sir,
Tour bumble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
N° 38.
A
1
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 307
N° 38. Saturday, December 18, 1725.
To HIBERNICUS.
Dolenda adhuc retulimus: veniendum ad erubefcenda eft.
VELL. PATER.
SIR,
}
W
ITH a good deal of Pleafure I
have obferved the Zeal you ex-
Prefs in one of your late Papers
againſt the unmanly but too pre-
vailing Cuſtom of detracting from
Mens Merit, and branding them with vitious
Characters, either on groundleſs Sufpicions of
our own, or the as groundlefs Suggeſtions of
ill-natured Whisperers and Tatlers, who,
like Vermin, breed in all Corners, and fpread
Filth and Corruption as faſt as they feed upon
it. There is no doubt but that giving a looſe
to fo vile a Practice is pernicious to Society,
and occafions infinite Diſorders among all
Ranks of People. If there could be found a
proper Method of diverting fo much Weakneſs
and Perverſenefs, I agree with you, that it
would be much for the Peace and Happineſs
of Mankind: But you muſt excufe me from
thinking, that that which you propofe, or
indeed
X 2
308 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
indeed any other, is capable of anfwering the
End. An envious Difpofition is in it felf fo
hurtful, that nothing less than the total Ex-
tinction of it can hinder the innumerable Mif-
chiefs it occafions. The more you humour
it, the more outrageous it grows. Liften to
a Tale-bearer in one Inftance, and you en-
courage him to impofe on you in a hundred.
And where Malice has once got root in the
Heart, be the Objects of its Ill-will ever fo
mean or contemptible at firft, and confequent-
ly the Miſchief occafioned by it ever ſo in-
confiderable, yet unless it receives a timely
Check, it will grow up to a prodigious Great-
nefs, and gather ftrength in its growing. For
poiſonous Weeds, being ſpontaneous Produc-
tions, are obferved to make very quick pro-
greſs both in Growth and Propagation; while
ufeful Plants, which ferve either for Food or
Phyfick, being of a more tender and delicate
Conftitution, require great Care and Induſtry
both for their Prefervation and Increaſe.
FOR thefe Reaſons it feems a very ill Ex-
pedient, to recommend the reading of Hiſtory
to fuch as love Scandal, and ill Reports of
their Neighbours. What is this but to allow
Spite and Ill-Nature to prey upon the Memo-
ry of the Dead, inſtead of the Reputation of
the Living? For that I fuppofe, is what you
mean by telling your Readers of that Taſte,
that they will there find room enough to exer-
cife their Envy and Ill-Nature: A faying, which
I cannot help thinking very injurious to that
ufeful
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 309
uſeful and excellent Study, and proceeding ra-
ther from what fome Hiftories are, than what
Hiſtory might, and ought to be. For tho I be-
lieve, that were it not for the Vices and Cor-
ruptions of Mankind, our reading on that
Subject might be brought within a much nar-
rower Compaſs than what it is, yet I am per-
fuaded, that the pleaſanteft and uſefulleſt Part
of Hiſtory either antient or modern, is what
relates to their Virtues, It is true, that Ava-
rice and Ambition have been the Occafion of
brave and good Mens fignalizing themſelves
by great and virtuous Actions; but it is as
true, that theſe laſt are what make up the Uſe,
the Beauty and Excellency of Hiftory, and
are the fole Reaſon why the Knowledge of it
is fo worthy an Accompliſhment. In my O-
pinion, thofe Events which the generality of
Readers will not reckon the moſt Great and
Shining, where the peaceable Virtues are only
exerted, fuch as the Inftitutions of wife Law-
givers, the regular and free Debates of Pub-
lick Affemblies met together to confult the
Common Good, the Adminiſtrations of Nati-
onal Juſtice, and the Progrefs of uſeful Arts
and Sciences, do make up the moſt entertain-
ing, as well as the most valuable Parts of Hi-
ftory. So that it is not that Study it felf,
which will afford fo much Matter to Minds
which find a Pleaſure in viewing the Imperfec-
tions and Weakneffes of Human Nature, but
the Methods taken by fome Hiftorians of
blackening Mens Characters, fuppreffing al-
W
*310 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
together, or putting ill Colours on the virtu
ous Actions of thofe whofe Opinions or Prin-
ciples they diſliked, and giving partial and un-
juſt Repreſentations both of Perfons and
Things, in order to ferve fome particular Par-
ty or Turn which the Authors have in their
Eye at the time they are writing.
Now this I account no leſs criminal than
the Abuſe you have endeavoured to correct.
For tho perhaps it may be more immediately
hurtful to Society to calumniate and backbite
the Living, yet I think it more fhameful and
unmanly to vilify and throw dirt on the Dead,
as well in regard of our having lefs Provocati-
on for fo doing, as their being out of a capa-
city of either refenting the Injury, or juftify-
ing themſelves. To kill a Man defignedly is
Cruelty and Murder; but to mifufe or mangle
a dead Body, for the bare pleaſure of doing
fo, is fomething ftill more favage, and brutal.
as it fhews the fame wicked Difpofition, only
reſtrained by a farther Principle of Baſeneſs,
the fear of Oppofition or Puniſhment. In the
fame manner it betrays a moſt abject and da-
ſtardly Spirit, when a great Man is gone out
of the World, whofe Principles, or Manage-
ment in publick Affairs we happen'd to diſre-
liſh, to trample on his Afhes, mifrepreſent his
Conduct, throw a Veil upon his Virtues, and
torture his Character ſo as to make his Vices
the moſt confpicuous Part of it. If the Per-
fon thus treated was really a good Man, there
is a plain Injuſtice committed on our part,
however
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 311
however infenfible the Perfon himſelf be of
the Injury; and we befides impofe on the
World in a matter, wherein it is of fome con-
fequence to have true information, and there-
fore wrong to give a falſe one. And in cafe
a Man's private Character was really vitious,
yet I think it Prefumption in a Hiſtorian to
make too free with it, unleſs his Vices had
a viſible Influence on his publick Conduct,
which can only be proved by clear and un-
conteſtable Facts.
SOME Writers are fo full of Sufpicion and
Ill-Nature, that they take a pleaſure in making
the beſt and nobleft Actions proceed from
vile and diſhonourable Motives. They have a
Lafciviouſneſs in finding out Faults and Ble-
miſhes in a great and illuſtrious Character. It
carries with it an Air of much Penetration,
and Knowledge of Mankind, to unveil Mens
Pretences, and make that appear to be all
Artifice and Diffimulation, which was the
pure Effect of Nature and Principle. And
thus out of mere Vanity, they deal with
Mankind in the fame way which Horace con-
demns in the Conduct of a Friend:
Virtutes ipfas invertimus, atque
Sincerum cupimus vas incruftare.
THE Effect which this Way of writing
Hiſtory, and ſetting Men in the worst Light,
may have upon the Readers, is very obvious.
It tends to make them entertain ill Notions of
Mankind; to give them a Jealouſy of the
Sincerity
X 4
312 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Sincerity and Honeſty of thoſe they have any
Dealings with; and confequently to banish
Simplicity and Candor from their Breaſts,
and make them artful, and always on the
catch in their Commerce with other Men.
For the fureft way to make a Man diſhoneſt
himſelf, is to prepoffefs him with the Belief,
that all other Men are fo. But there is an-
other Effect, turning upon fuch Hiſtorians
themſelves, which I think their Conduct
ſhould have upon Men of Senfe and Virtue. It
is an Axiom with Mr. Hobbes, that the beſt
and trueft way to know from what Motives
other Men act in any given Circumſtances, is
to examine our own Breafts, and frame a
Judgment by what we fhould act and think
ourſelves in the like Cafes. Whether this be a
juft Rule or no, is not to the prefent purpoſe to
inquire. But let thofe Hiftorians, who, with-
out any other ground than what a fruitful
Imagination affords them, afcribe all good and
great Actions to Trick and Defign, confider,
whether they do not give their Readers a fair
handle to turn the Malmesbury Philofopher's
Rule againſt themſelves, and charge them
with being capable of all the Hypocrify and
Diffimulation they fo liberally beſtow upon
others; eſpecially fince a Conſciouſneſs of
Diſhoneſty and Infincerity at home, is gene-
rally the caufe why Men expect to meet with
nothing better abroad.
THE antient Writers have with great Ju
ftice been celebrated for their Modeſty and
Temperance
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 313
Temperance in this particular. For tho fome
Greek Hiftorians have fallen under the Cri-
ticiſm of a too luxurious Invention, yet their
Excefs was of a different kind. Their Parti-
ality for their Country did not influence them
to ſpeak ill of its Enemies, or detract from
any of their good Qualities; but on the con-
trary, gave them occafion to magnify thole
Qualities, that the Virtue of their Country-
men who fubdued them might appear with
the more Advantage and Luftre. The Roman
Authors, amidſt all the Panegyricks they be-
ftow on their own Heroes, do always do
Juſtice to the Virtues of their Antagoniſts;
and Pyrrhus and Hannibal make as noble a
Figure in the Records of thoſe by whom they
were conquered, as the one actually does in
the Writings of his own Countrymen, or the
other would have done in thoſe of the Car-
thaginians, had any of them been tranſmit-
ted down to us. Even the feveral Leaders of
Parties in their own State have impartial Ju-
ſtice done to their Merit by the Authors of all
fides. The Scipio's, and the Gracchi, were
at the Head of as fierce contending Factions,
and of as oppofite Intereſts, as ever appeared
in any Nation; and yet how great, how ami-
able are they all reprefented by thofe who
have given us the Accounts of their Struggles
in behalf of their refpective Parties, wherein
both Sides are owned to have had the Good
of the Commonwealth in view, tho purſuing
it by different Methods? And in the Days of
Auguftus,
I
14 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Auguftus, none of the Hiftorians were in the
leaſt ſhy of the higheſt Encomiums on the
Goodneſs, the Magnanimity, and Generofity
of Brutus, who had been the greateſt and
moſt inveterate Enemy to that Prince and his
Family.
SUETONIUS, and Tacitus, who lived in
Times of great Degeneracy and Corruption, it
muſt be confeffed, do very much abound in
vitious and profligate Characters; and tho I
will not deny, but that both of them may
have been too faulty in the Repreſentation of
Mens Leudneſs and Villanies, yet, confider-
ing what monftrous Men and monstrous Acti-
ons they had to defcribe, they feem very ex-
cufable; at leaſt they are much more fo, than
moſt of the Hiftorians we meet with now-a-
days. Maimbourg and Varillas among the
French, and Strada in his Hiſtory of the
Belgick Wars, are Inftances how much we
exceed the Antients in partial and unjuſt Ac-
counts both of Perfons and Things. The
Buſineſs of theſe Authors feems to be not fo
much the writing of Hiftory, as the making
of it. Being very deep Politicians, they give
you a Detail of the moft fecret Refolutions
and Confultations; and diſcover Ambition,
Avarice, or a Miſtreſs, at the bottom of every
Action or Enterprize which fuits not their
Humour, or happens to thwart the Intereſt
they have efpoufed. The Struggles of a
brave and virtuous People to free themſelves
from Tyranny and Oppreffion, are no more
than
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 315
than the Effects of cauſeleſs Surmiſes and
Jealoufies, artfully fown among them by
their factious and intriguing Leaders. And
becauſe the Church, or which is the fame
thing, the Church-men, have generally been
lofers wherever Liberty has been afferted, to
be fure, the Patrons of Liberty muſt be run
down as the profeffed Enemies of God and
Religion; and if any Accident, or Calamity
befals them, Providence is immediately called
in, and feveral wife Hints given us, how
from thence we may judge of the Wicked-
nefs of the Men, and the Injuſtice of their
Cauſe.
I COULD wifh, for the Honour of our
own Language, that none of this Spirit ap-
peared in fome Hiftories which have been
writ in it. As the British Nations have fre-
quently fallen into high Conteſts and Divi-
fions, the Effects of them appear but too
much in thoſe who have given the Hiſtory of
them to the World. Writers of all Parties
have been guilty of great Exceffes this way.
But Mr. Echard, in his Hiftory of England,
has, I think, gone beyond any thing I ever
read, in cafting the moft cruel and unjuft
Afperfions on the Memory of thoſe whoſe
Party or Principles he does not approve.
All his Characters are either of Saints or
Devils, and thofe carefully kept in their fe-
parate Parties, like the Sheep and the Goats,
at the laſt great Day of Accounts. Is is not
enough to fhew his Diſlike of a Man's Prin-
316 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
ciples, or Behaviour in publick Matters, but
his private Life is raked into for little fcanda-
lous Stories to inflame the Reckoning. One
would think that the plain Accounts we have
of the Ufurper Oliver Cromwel's treacherous
Dealings with his Prince, his Ingratitude to
thoſe who raiſed him, and his overturning
the Laws and Conſtitution of his Country,
told in a naked manner, were fufficient to
ſhew him a wicked Man, without calling hist
Courage in queftion, or making him enter
into a Treaty with the Devil. A Story fo
very ridiculous, that it had been much for
the Author's Credit, it had ſtill remained
concealed in the Boy's Common-place Book,
from whence he had it. How confiftent his
placing the Devil in the ftead of him who is
faid in Scripture to be the fole Giver of Vic-
tory, may be with his Notions of Ortho-
doxy, is none of my Province to determine;
but this I am fure, that his conftant inter-
preting the Misfortunes of Men as Inftances
of the Divine Difpleaſure againſt them for
their Conduct in political Matters, is utterly
inconfiftent both with Morality and Chrifti-
anity.
But this Gentleman having been fuffi-
ciently corrected already by other Hands, I
deſiſt from enlarging on a Subject, which was
only brought in, to fhew how improper and
injurious it is for Men to vent their Paffions
and Refentments in Writings of fuch Gravity
and Dignity as Hiftory; and how unjuftly
VOJE
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 317
you have recommended that Study to the
Envious and the Cenforious, as a Storehouſe
of Suſtenance for Ill-Nature, which it is
not in it ſelf, but only by Accident, and
the Miſconduct of partial and bigotted
Writers.
I am, Sir, yours, &c.
CRITO.
N° 39.
Friday, December 24, 1725.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Membranis intus pofitis.
SIR,
I
HOR.
NGRATITUDE is a Crime
we Authors are frequently, and
fometimes not unjustly taxed with.
We receive affiftance from feveral
Perfons, and yet make no con-
ſcience of owning the Obligation. But did
the World confider after what manner, for
the moſt part we come under thoſe Obliga-
tions, they would be a little more charita-
ble in their Cenfures upon us. For the Helps
we receive are very feldom
given us in the
way
318 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
way of a Gift; but we make bold to take
them ourſelves, which being none of the
moſt creditable ways of doing Buſineſs, it is
fomewhat hard to accufe us of being ingrate-
ful, for only endeavouring to cover our own
Nakedness. If it can be proved that we pur-
loin any thing from the Writings of other
Men, let us fuffer what the Law in that cafe
directs; but let not the odious Imputation
of Ingratitude lie upon our Memory, when
we have only merited the Puniſhment due
to Felony.
THIS is truly our Cafe, whenever we
take the liberty of appropriating to our own
Uſe what already has been publiſhed by other
Authors; which abundantly clears us from
the Charge of Ingratitude, as being under no
Obligations but what are common to the
reſt of Mankind. So that it is chiefly that
Claſs of Writers I have enliſted my ſelf with,
against whom this Charge can lie with any
tolerable Juftice; fince much of the Affiſtance
they receive is of pure Grace, and conveyed
to them in fuch a manner, as leaves it entire-
ly in their own power to acknowledge the
Favour or not. Their Auxiliaries, like a
Man's good Genius, act inviſibly, and there-
by make the not returning them Thanks the
more criminal, as they feem lefs concerned
about what is due to their good Offices. For
we are then moſt guilty of Ingratitude, when
acts of Kindnefs are done us in fuch a man-
ner
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 319
ner as will allow our being fo, with the leaſt
danger of having it diſcovered.
THAT I might avoid this Imputation as
much as poffible, I have endeavoured from
time to time to do my Correſpondents all
the Juſtice which lay in my power. Tho I
might with Impunity have acted otherwiſe,
I have always chofen to communicate their
Letters in the fame manner they were tranf
mitted to me. And as I intend very foon
to make the Town my Acknowledgments
for their favourable Acceptance of theſe Pa-
pers, it will be my Correfpondents own
Fault, if the Publick is not made acquainted
to whom they owe the beſt part of their En-
tertainment.
BUT befides fuch Letters as have come to
the publick View, I have received many
uſeful Hints from other Perfons, whofe good
Intentions ought not to paſs altogether unre-
garded; and therefore as I have formerly
done on the like occafion, I have fet apart
this Paper to clear my Accounts with them,
and free them from the Uneaſineſs moſt Peo-
ple are apt to be under, when they appre-
hend either the Mifcarriage or Neglect of
their Advices.
THE Author of a long Letter, with a
Copy of Verſes annexed, fubfcribed A. E.
gives me a very particular Account of a cer-
tain young Lady's extravagant Affection and
Raving for the lofs of a favourite Sparrow,
and her no leſs ridiculous Tranſport of Joy
upon
320 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
upon finding it again; and hereupon he is
very preffing with me to write a Satire upon
thofe polite People who take their Friends
and Companions from the brute Part of the
Creation. If I did not apprehend this Hu-
mour to be fufficiently expofed already, I
fhould with much chearfulneſs contribute my
Endeavours to the bringing down of Lap-
Dogs, and all other mere Animals either of
the mute or loquacious Kind, which ufurp
the Favour and engrofs the Affections of the
Fair. I am fenfible, there cannot be a more
plain Proof of a corrupted Taſte, and down-
right falling away from Humanity, than what
fuch prepofterous Fancies afford us; and there-
fore it would be a good Office done to Man-
kind, to ridicule it, if there be any hopes of
a Reformation. But as that Diſeaſe is com-
monly incurable in Minds once feized with
it, and as it is better to have good Affections
even for Brutes, than none at all, it were.
more eligible to indulge, than to ſtrive to
banish it. So that while the Ladies of this
Species throw aſide all Care of their Children,
I think it not much amifs, that rather than
let them fit idle, they ſhould be allowed to
employ themſelves in the Education of Squir-
rels, and compenfate their want of Tender-
nefs to a Husband, by beſtowing Endearments
and Careffes on a Monkey.
ANOTHER Correfpondent, who calls
himſelf Philotheus, expreffes a very honeſt
and becoming Zeal againſt the wicked and
idle
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 321
idle Practice of profane Curfing and Swear-
ing. I would fain hope, this is rather lofing,
than gaining Ground among us; at leaſt this
I am pofitive of, that it is univerfally defpifed
by Men of Senſe and Breeding, which is one
of the likelieft Methods of exploding it, unleſs
it be among thoſe who want both Senfe and
Breeding; and them I can think of no other
way of reclaiming, but by a vigorous ex-
ecution of the Laws, againſt a Cuſtom moft
prevalent among that Size of People, who
are more to be influenced by the fear of
Puniſhment than the force of Reafon.
THE gentle Strephon, it ſeems, is very
angry with me for inferting in a late Paper
a Letter from one Academicus, and requeſts
me, as I value my Credit with my Female
Readers, and the modeft Swains their Ad-
mirers, that I will receive no more Papers
from that Hand. As Academicus is the Per-
fon chiefly concerned in this matter, I will
not take upon me to make his Apology.
But for my own part, I had not inferted his
Letter, had I apprehended any thing immo-
deft or indecent in it. I look upon it as a
handſome piece of Raillery on thofe credulous
People who endeavour to ſupport the Viſions
of Fools and Mad-men by Reaſons drawn
from falſe Philofophy, or the Authority of
weak and enthuſiaſtick Writers. And had
Correſpondent duly confidered upon whom
the Ridicule turned, I perfuade my felf he
would have been lefs fevere in his Cenfures. ·
Vol. I.
AMONG
Y
my
322 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
AMONG others who have fent me their
Remarks on the Thirty Firft Paper concern-
ing Witches and Apparitions, I muſt not
omit my Friend Hezekiah Doubtful, one of
the Brethren whom the profane World in De-
rifion commonly calls Quakers. He rebukes
me in the Spirit of Meeknefs, for holding
feveral Opinions, which, according to the
Light beſtowed on him, feem not agreeable
to the Truth. I would have taken particular
notice of all his Objections, but that he
feems to be a Wanton, and not to have the
Truth in him. For after having taken abun-
dance of pains to prove the Exiſtence of
Witches and Apparitions, he gives all up
again by explaining the former of young
Maidens, fair to look upon, and the latter
of leud Apprentices, with Tongues full of
Smoothneſs and Deceit. Why elfe doth he
defile my Ears with the wicked Story of his
Daughter Judith, and his unfaithful Servant
Aminadab? How would the Daughters of
the Land take it, to infert fuch Slanders on
their Sex in my Papers? And ſeeing I have
been already admoniſhed againſt ſuch things
even by profane People, who take unto them-
felves the Abomination of Heathen Names,
verily it appeareth not likely, that one of
the Remnant fhould be for ſpreading fuch Ru-
mours to the Ends of the Earth, and the Ifles
afar off. Alas! Hezekiah, I fhreudly fufpect
thee for a Deceiver, and one that has more
of the Serpent, than the Dove; and there-
fore
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 323
fore till 1 have fome farther Teſtimony con-
cerning thee, I muft intreat thee not to be
offended, that I decline having Communica-
tion with thee.
I
THE Only Debt I have now to diſcharge
is to the witty and facetious Chiron, who
thinks I ſhould neglect a very fair Opportu
nity of diverting the Town, if I overlooked
the great Controverfy at prefent agitated a
mong the Sons of Æfculapius, and their Re-
tainers. According to
According to him, this Subject
would afford a Fund of fmart Reaſoning, as
well as the greateſt Amuſement, of any
have yet handled.
handled. I return my Gentleman
hearty thanks for his good Advice; but am
too diffident of my own Abilities, to embark
in a Debate which would require fo great a
Fund of Learning, and has befides been
thought of Importance enough to employ
the Wisdom of the Nation. Nor am I fure,
that I fhould not be thought too much a Party
in the Cafe, to be heard without prejudice.
For as the Distempers of the Body very fre-
quently proceed from the Diſorders of the
Mind, and the correcting of theſe has been
the principal Deſign of my weekly Addreſſes
to the Publick, I do not know, but I might
have come under the Category of a Practi-
tioner, and been obliged to undergo an Ex-
amination, and take out a Licence from that
Learned Body. But be this as it will, I think
Chiron might have refted fatisfied with the
Narcotick, which, he fays, has been given
324 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
to that Affair in Parliament, without defiring
from me the farther Application of a Carmi-
native; a Form of Medicament, which, if
I underſtand him right, is only a certain
Compoſition of Words and Syllables, vulgar-
ly known by the Name of a Lampoon.
THESE, as I believe they were all in-
tended for Favours, I very chearfully ac-
knowledge as fuch. But fome other Gen-
tlemen have thought fit to honour me with
Letters of a different fort, which from pure
Charity and Compaffion to the Authors, I
have carefully fuppreffed. For it would ill
become one who profeffes himſelf a Friend to
the Caufe of Virtue and Humanity, to pub-
liſh the Weakneſs and Ill-Nature of his Fellow-
Creatures, even under the fictitious Names
they have affumed. Theſe Gentlemen there-
fore may reft affured, that no Provocations
fhall divert me from purſuing the honeſt Ends
I have always had in view as a Writer, or
make me forget how foreign to thofe Ends
it would be to revenge any private Abuſes
done me, by publiſhing the contemptible
Scribble of thofe that do them. No; if Peo-
ple will be Coxcombs upon Record, it ſhall be
done their own Hands, not mine. That
is too low an Employment for one who has
the Publick Good for the chief Motive of
his Writing. To impreſs my Readers with
a juft Senfe of Life and its Enjoyments; to
make Virtue appear in its native Beauty and
Luftre; to fhew the Weakneſs and Folly of
vicious
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 325
vicious Courſes; to prevent the ill Effects of
fuperftitious Imaginations, and popular De-
lufions; to recommend univerfal Benevolence,
publick Spirit, and the Love of our Coun-
try; to correct a falfe Taſte of Writing, and
baniſh Nonſenſe, Indecency and Impertinence
from the publick Diverfions: Thefe have
been hitherto the conftant Purpoſe carried on
in theſe Papers; and from this Track, I hope,
neither Threatnings nor Abuſes ſhall ever pre-
vail on me to deviate.
N°
a
5
40.
I am, Sir, yours, &c.
HIBERNICUS.
Saturday, January 1, 172%.
To HIBERNICUS.
Αβγδεζ Ηθικλμ Νέοπρς Τυρχψω. Apud Varios.
SIR,
A
S I have a great Eſteem for your
Writings, I go every Saturday
early in the Afternoon to the
Coffee-Houfe, to read the four-
nal, before the Company begins
to grow numerous, that I may have leifure to
peruſe it, without being diſturbed: But as
foon
Y
3
326 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
foon as the Table where I fit begins to fill,
I lay it down before my Right-Hand Man;
and, if I can, I prevail on him to read it
with an audible Voice, that I may feel the
Pulfes of all thoſe that are within hearing.
My Curiofity in this Point coft me fo
much Uneafinefs fome time ago, that I can❤
not forbear communicating to you the Cauſe
of my Concern.
THE first Perfon who took up your Pa-
per, gave me very good Hopes: "He was a
Dancing-Mafter; and being one of your con-
ftant Readers, he remarked with great Judg-
ment, that your Correfpondents were Perfons
of more Politeneſs than thoſe whom the
Spectator dealt with; for (faid he) they uſed
him with too much familiarity, fome of
them calling him Dear Spec; others, Short-
Face; others, Dear Dumb, &c. but the Let-
ters addreffed to Hibernicus, always begin
with a decent SIR, and end with a Well-
bred Humble Servant.
I
THE Words were no fooner out of his
Mouth, when an old tefty Alderman, who
fat by him, anſwered in great Wrath-
wonder to fee you guilty of fo grofs a Mif-
take: Be affured the Author himfelf writes
all thofe Letters which he pretends to be di-
rected to him; and he only ſubſcribes imagi-
nary Names to them, that he may the more
fafely publiſh his fcandalous Libels; witneſs
a certain Letter concerning the worthy Lord
C――t, which he thought to impoſe on his
Readers,
灣
​HIBERNICUs's Letters. 327
Readers, as coming from an ignorant Tradef-
man: But I immediately fmelt the Trick;
and if I knew who that fame Hibernicus is,
he fhould pay for his pretended Correfpon-
dent's Treafon; or if it doth not come up to
Treafon, at least I would have him fwinged
for Scandalum Magnatum.
UPON this a Quaker, who fat facing me,
oppoſed the Alderman, and told him, He
was credibly informed, that all the Letters in
the Journal were not your own; but that
you had better have kept only to an imagi-
nary Correſpondence, than to publiſh ſome
Papers which are fent you: Can any thing
(added he) be more offenfive to the Ears of
the Righteous, than to hear that gormandi-
zing Chaplain, who calls himſelf Š CARF,
mention it as a happineſs, that he is allowed
to partake of Cheese-cake and Custard? And
who but a proud Prieft would expreſs a plea-
fure in receiving worldly Honours from the
Servants of the Family?
DURING all this time I fat filent, waiting
to fall freſh on them, by the time they had
tired themſelves with their ingenious Obſer-
vations: But on a fudden came up to us a
School-Mafter, for whom they all feemed to
have a great Refpect, which made me con-
clude very juftly (as it appeared afterwards)
that he was Chairman of that Club, and
that they paid an implicit deference to his
Judgment. An Acquaintance in thofe Places,
you know, is foon made; and therefore after
having put in my Word with him about the
V
Weather
328 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Weather and the News, and accommodated
him out of my Box with a Pipe of good Vir-
ginia, I took an opportunity to let him know
what had been the Subject of the Difcourfe
before he came. And having with great ex-
actneſs given him the feveral Opinions of his
Friends, I appealed to his fuperior Underſtand-
ing for the Vindication of your Honour.
THIS made them all look with an uneafy
Surprize; for as I had fat mute among them,
they thought I had not understood, or at leaſt
not liftned to what had paffed: Befides, they
were uneafy at the apprehenfions of coming
under the laſh of his judicious Cenfure; and,
by this time, I could eaſily diſcern they had
laid aſide the decifive Air, which each of them
in his turn had affumed before their Prefident
came in.
THEIR Oracle having toffed back his Wig,
ftroked his Forehead, knit his Brows, and
performed the thoughtful and critical bite of
the Lip, he pronounced a general Sentence,
telling them with a magifterial Air and Voice,
That they were every one wrong in their O-
pinions, and that none of them had hit upon
the true Defect of your Paper: Next he pro-
ceeded to a particular Cenfüre; and firſt he fell
unmercifully upon the poor Alderman, tell-
ing him with a Smile of Contempt, that the
Letter relating to the Lord Ct, was
written according to the Rule of a certain
beautiful Figure of Rhetorick called Ironia;
and that if he had been converfant with
the
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 329
the Works of the beſt Orators, he would have
ſeen the Deſign in a better Light, and not
have miſtaken an Elogium for a Sarcafm.
NEXT, he took the Quaker to task, and
told him with an air of Raillery, that if his
fanctified Profeffion had permitted him to
read profane Authors, he would have known
that the PLACENTE, which many learn-
ed Linguiſts have tranflated Cheefe-Cakes,
were formerly a part of the Priest's Income
from the Sacrifices; fo that SCARF's ac-
knowledgment of being allowed the Benefit
of them by his Lord, did not fhew any Glut-
tony in him, but probably was only introdu-
ced to let the World know that his Patron has
a juſt regard for the Sacerdotal Function, and
is willing to pay the Clergy IN KIND. The
fame (continued he) may be faid of the regard
paid him from the Servants by their Maſter's
Order; and it gives us to underſtand in an
oblique manner, that his Lord is no ſtranger
to Homer, Virgil, and other great Writers
of Antiquity, who all affign to Prieſts the
next Honour to Kings.
THE laft who underwent his Correction,
was the Dancing-Mafter, whom he affur'd
that the different manner of addreffing the
Authors us'd by the Correſpondents of the
Spectator and thofe of Hibernicus, was no
way effential in any Country but in France :
And he added with a loud Laughter, that he
would undertake to perform a Pyrrhic Dance
for him on the publick Stage, if there were
any
330 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
any fuch Criticifm to be met with in any one
Page of Longinus.
HAVING thus corrected them every one
in his turn, he compoſed his Looks to a pro-
found Gravity, and told them that, in his
Opinion, (which he muſt ſay was not the
moſt deſpicable in the World) your Paper
(according to Martial's account of his own
Works) contain'd fome good, fome bad, and
ſome indifferent Things; which he did not
think ought to make the Journal be under-
valued, becauſe you had kept it up
had kept it up for a con-
fiderable time; and that the judicious Flaccus
himſelf in his Art of Poetry allow'd the Au-
thor a Nap in the Courſe of a tedious Work.
So much being premis'd in your favour, he
put up his fore-finger to his Nofe, and ac-
quainted us all that he was coming to the
main Point: I am certain (ſaid he) that nei-
ther Hibernicus nor any of his Correfpon-
dents are good Grecians; for as the Greek
abounds with valuable Apophthegms, I dare
affirm, had they underſtood the Language,
they would have made ufe of it in the
Mottos prefixed to the Paper. This let me
tell you, Gentlemen, is the only true and
important Objection againſt the Journal:
But I beg you may not make it publick, for
I have a great regard for Induſtry, and fhould
be unwilling to difcourage any well-meaning
Author.
I WAS extremely pleaſed to find all your
Crimes reduc'd to one by the learned Judge:
It
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 331
3
It gave me ſo much Courage, that I was re-
folv'd to puſh the matter farther, and bring
you off entirely clear, by repreſenting to him
(very unluckily, as it happened) in the Spec-
tator's Phrafe, that the fault might be owing
to the Printers, moft of whom in this King-
dom are of the TROJAN PARTY, and
have no other than TROJAN INSTRU.
MENTS. But, to my great furprize, he
turn'd ſhort upon me; telling me that he nei-
ther underſtood nor defired to know, what I
meant by the TROJAN PARTY or
their INSTRUMENTS, for that he had
laid it down as a Maxim in Life to preſerve
himſelf ignorant of all Politicks and Party-
Bufinefs.
As ſoon as he had faid this, he gave a
wink to the Company, to fignify to them (as
I imagine) that I was a dangerous Man, and
rofe up: All the reft followed him with great
Obfequiouſneſs, looking back at me over their
ſhoulders with a frown, and whifpering to one
another in ſuch a manner, as convinced me
that their Leader's Looks had prepoffefs'd
them very much to my Difadvantage.
It amazed me terribly at firſt to find that
you fo
and I were both ſo ill uſed; the one con-
demned, and the other tacitly accuſed, after
ſo abrupt a manner, and without a fair hear-
ing: but being left alone and at leiſure for
reflection, it came into my thoughts after
fome ſtudy, that the moſt effectual method
for clearing the Character of your Journal
would
332 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
would be to fend you the above Greek Motto,
which all good Judges will allow to contain,
tho in the ſpace of four Words, the fubftan-
tial Part of all the Learning, in the Frontif-
pieces of daily or weekly Papers, put toge-
ther. I affirm, to fuch of your Readers as
do not underſtand the Greek, that without
the help of this unparallel'd Motto, Homer
would have made no very laſting figure in
the World in Poetry, Ariftotle in Philofophy,
Demofthenes in Oratory, or Thucydides in
Hiſtory Nay, were I not afraid of the im-
putation of Libertiniſm, I would even in-
clude the Evangelifts, except St. Matthew.
Such is the incomparable Cabbaliſtick Virtue
of this Motto! for the truth of which I ap-
peal to the Learned.
If this be of any advantage to the Repu-
tation of your Paper, I fhall, if I live, fend
you fome other of the fame fort about the
beginning of next April. In the mean time
give me leave to aſſure you that,
I am, Sir,
Your fincere Friend,
And bumble Servant,
N. N.
N° 41.
*
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 333
N°
4I.
Saturday, January 8, 1723.
To HIBERNICUS.
Quis tam effet ferreus, qui eam vitam ferre pofſet,
cuique non auferret fructum voluptatum omnium
TULL.
Solitudo?
SIR,
M
EN of a philofophical Temper are
exceeding apt, from having taken
too near a View of human Life,
to grow tired with the Profpect,
and to reprefent all its Enjoyments
as undeferving that Care and Eagernefs with
which they are commonly purfued. Others
again, who have been difappointed in the
Chafe of Wealth or Power; who have been
unſucceſsful in their Applications to the Rich,
the Great, or the Fair, unhappy in their
Friendſhips, or difconcerted in Bufinefs, im-
mediately commence a Quarrel with the
World, cry out at the Ridiculouſneſs of Life,
and laugh at all Mankind for Fools and Cox-
combs, who trouble their Heads about any
thing farther in human Affairs, than what
may contribute to their own Eaſe in a private
and unactive Station.
As
334 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
As nothing is more uſual among unthinking
Perfons, than to over-rate the Secondary Goods
of Life, it is a generous and manly Part in
Men of Senfe and Reflection, to fhew where-
in the true Ufe and Worth of them confifts,
and by that means prevent the numerous Dif-
orders occafioned by an immoderate Fondnefs
of them. With this honeſt and laudable In-
tention many grave Authors have compofed
Volumes, filled with fage Counfels and In-
ſtructions againſt our being entangled in thoſe
gilded Snares, and fuffering our Minds to be
enſlaved with the Charms of fuch empty and
unſubſtantial Bleffings. But fuch is the Infir-
mity of human Nature, that when Men exert
their greateſt Force to accompliſh any End,
there is then the greateſt Danger of overshoot-
ing the Mark, and, if one may uſe a very
common Simile, of falling on Scylla, in feek-
ing to avoid Charybdis.
THUS has it fared oftentimes with Writers
on Philofophy. Intent to fhew the Folly
and Vanity of placing Happiness on things
without us, they have treated thoſe things in
fuch a manner, as if the Poffeffion of them
were of no Ufe or Significance in Life at all.
And becauſe the World, in the ordinary Situa-
tion of Things, is a Scene where far the
greateſt Part of the Reprefentation confiſts in an
odd heterogeneous Mixture of trifling Buſineſs,
and ſerious Farce; becauſe Fools or Knaves
are generally the Perfons who make the prin-
cipal Figure in the Drama; and becauſe the
Noifa
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 335
Noiſe and Show made in it have fo little Con-
nection with mental Pleaſure, and inward Sa-
tisfaction: For thefe cogent Reaſons, the
wife Man is prudently admonifhed to with-
draw himſelf from ſo fenfelefs and tumultuous
a Theatre, and wrapping himſelf up in his
Virtue, retire to fome lonely Place, where
he may enjoy uninterrupted Quiet and Ob-
fcurity. Thus the good Man is taught to
make the moſt of his own Goodneſs, and to
prevent a baſe degenerate World from having
any fhare in it: Thus are we to follow Na-
ture, by breaking off all Correfpondence with
our Species: And fo ought we to regard our
End, as to do nothing elſe but contem-
plate it.
In this Light, I own it, I muſt always look
on thoſe pompous and florid Harangues in
praiſe of Solitude and Retirement, which a-
dorn the Writings of many of our moral Phi-
lofophers. For what are Solitude and Retire-
ment, when taken up only with a view of
our own Eafe, and to enjoy the pleafing
Languiſhments of Melancholy and Specula-
tion, but a mere running away from the World,
and bidding it ſhift for itſelf the beſt way it can?
And what is this different from a full Renun-
ciation of Humanity, and bartering away our
focial and rational Pleaſures for a Felicity un-
natural to us, fince we have not Capacities
fufficient for the complete Enjoyment of it?
I CAN excuſe the Raptures and Viſions of
the Poets on this Subject. Let them employ
I
all
336 HIBERNICU s's Letters.
all the Power of Wit and Fancy, laviſh all the
Graces of Deſcription, and dip their Pencils
in the richeſt Colours that Language can af-
ford, to paint the Sylvan Scenes, the feque-
ftered Groves, and delicious Retreats of the
gentle Nymphs and Swains, whom they make
the Inhabitants of thoſe fair Abodes. Such
Repreſentations are, no doubt, extremely plea-
fing, and perhaps will have no very bad Influ-
ence upon the youthful and gay part of Man-
kind, whofe Heads are filled with rambling
Notions, and their Minds perpetually roving
from Pleaſure to Pleaſure, thro' a tedious Cir-
cle of Noife, Show, and Impertinence. To
reduce fuch volatile Spirits, and direct them to
fome one regular Purfuit of Beauty and Pleaſure,
it may be neceſſary to footh them with agree-
able Landskips of Retirement, and the rural
Life, the Ideas of which have in all Ages, I
know not how, been affociated with thofe of
Love and Innocence. This is only bending
the Mind a contrary way, that it may reco-
ver its due Tenfion and Straitneſs. A wild
Youth foftened into Love, is as good as half
reformed. And tho the purling Stream, and
the folitary Walk ſeem to be his chief Enjoy-
ments, there is no great danger of his com-
mencing Savage, and becoming folely ena-
mour'd of the Lifeless Beauties of Nature,
while a Living Form keeps its room in his
Heart and Wishes; or that an unfocial Tem-
per ſhould grow out of a Paffion, which termi-
nates in the propagation of the Species.
Bur
HIBERNICUus's Letters. 337
But when Philofophers talk in the fame
Key, and in the oftentation of cloſe Thinking
and invincible Argument, endeavour to per-
fuade Men, that true Virtue and Happineſs
are only to be found in a Shade or a Cloiſter,
methinks the Jeft is carried a little too far. As
vain a thing as the World may be, however
empty its Pleaſures and impertinent its Buſineſs,
yet am I not for having all the Men of Senfe
run away into the Woods, and exchange the
infignificant Converſation of unthinking Mor-
tals for a Commerce with the Skies. And
whatever Deformity or Difcord may appear
in the preſent Frame and Conftitution of the
moral World, I apprehend it would at leaſt
be as virtuous to forego a little of our own
Eafe and Quiet, in attempting to fmooth the
rugged Features, and compofe the jarring
Notes of Mankind, as to indulge the folitary
Satisfaction of contemplating inanimate Beau-
ty, or liftning to the intellectual Muſick of
the Spheres.
I AM far from thinking, that upon fome occa-
fions it may not be both the Intereft and the Du-
ty of a wife and good Man to retire from the
Hurry of Affairs, and enjoy the Pleaſures of a
private and inoffenfive Life. A Man who has
worn himſelf out in the Service of his Country
or Mankind, has a right to difpofe of the Re-
mainder of his Days in whatever Purfuits tend
moft to Self-enjoyment. And indeed they
are only fuch great Souls, that have Talents
fufficient to fupport a retired Life with Com-
Vol. I.
Z
fort
338 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
fort and Dignity. Nor can the fame Privi-
lege be denied the virtuous Man in a time of
univerfal Corruption and Violence, when to
ftem the Torrent of publick Miſchief, would
be an attempt not only vain, but dangerous.
In fuch Cafes,
When Vice prevails, and impious Men bear fway,
The Poft of Honour is a private Station.
A noble Author, whofe Writings breathe
the moſt extenſive Love of Mankind, and the
moſt generous Notions of publick Virtue, has
ventured to ſay yet more in favour of Retire
ment : "That not only the beſt Authors, but
the beſt Company require this Seafoning.
Joburg's
bury Society it felf cannot be rightly enjoy.
ed without fome Abftinence and ſeparate
Sexy - Thought. All grows infipid, dull, and tire-
'fom, without the help of fome Intervals of
• Retirement. Do thofe Lovers underſtand
the Intereſt of their Loves, who by their
good-will would never be parted for a Mo-
•ment? Or would they be diſcreet Friends,
• who would chufe to live together on fuch
Terms? What Relifh then muſt the World
• have (that common World of mix'd and un-
diſtinguiſh'd Company) without a little So-
litude; without ſtepping now and then aſide,
out of the Road and beaten Track of Life,
'that tedious Circle of Noife and Show, which
• forces wearied Mankind to ſeek Relief from
⚫ every poor Diverfion?"
•
By
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 339
By no means, however, are we to under-
ſtand theſe Conceffions as Arguments for that
conſtant and intire Eftrangement from the
World, which feems to be the Drift of thoſe
Gentlemen who are fo profufely eloquent in
the praiſes of Solitude and Obfcurity. We
might with equal propriety infer the Uſefulneſs
of Starving on account of the Benefits of
Temperance. Some degree of Solitude, and
fome intervals of Leifure are doubtlefs necef-
fary. But why are they fo? Only on this ac-
count, that by a little relaxation our flagging
Spirits may recover their Force, and we return
to the Buſineſs of Life with the more Vigor
and Chearfulneſs. Solitude affords us Oppor-
tunities of enlarging and improving our Minds.
But why are we to improve our Minds at all?
Is it not to render us uſeful in Society, and
capable of enjoying it with the greater ele-
gance and fatisfaction; and not merely to
gratify an indolence of Temper, delicacy of
Fancy, or enthuſiaſm of Speculation?
Our being obliged to have recourfe to
poor Diverfions for relief from the noiſe and
hurry of the World, is no good reaſon for an
intire deferting of it, and renouncing all Cor-
reſpondence with it. The fame Argument
will take place againſt Retirement it felf. Our
Happineſs depends upon our Difpofition in
every Circumftance and Condition of Life. A
Mind over-run with Diſcontent and Sullen-
neſs, will be the fame in Solitude as in Socie-
ty. Nor is there any great likelihood, that a
Man
Z 2
340 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Man infenfible to the Charms of rational Con-
verfation, fhould ever make an agreeable, or
even a fatisfactory Companion to himſelf.
Will the fair Face of Nature afford a perpetual
Enjoyment to one who has taken a diſguſt at
the Human Countenance Divine? Have the
Fields and Flowers a greater variety of beau-
tiful Appearances, than are to be met with in a
Courſe of honeft and virtuous Actions? Is the
Bufy Hum of Men a lefs agreeable Sound than
that of a murmuring Brook? Or can we promiſe
ourſelves a purer or more laſting Delight from
the Contemplation of azure Skies, a gilded
Horizon, or an enamelled Mead, than in the
proſpect of that infinite Variety of intellectual
Forms arifing out of the ſeveral Relations, Du-
ties, Friendships, Alliances, and Communities
of Mankind?
SOLITUDE then bids no fairer for procu-
ring us lafting Eafe and Content, than Com-
pany and Buſineſs. They are mutually Re-
liefs to each other; and the moſt ſelf-ſeeking
Perfon in the World will find it his intereſt to
cultivate Society for his own fake. So that
the Queſtion comes at laft to this, Whether
the Good of Society will be moſt effectually
promoted by a virtuous Man, when he con-
tents himſelf with acting in a private Sphere,
or when he preffes forward into the Croud and
Buſineſs of the World: And this every Man
muſt decide for himſelf, according to the Abi-
lities and Opportunities which have been gi-
ven him by Providence
CERTAIN
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 341
CERTAIN it is, that without fome degree
of focial Enjoyment, fome kind of Friendship,
and Communication of Sentiments, Pleaſures,
and Affections, the moral World muft fall to
pieces, aud human Life become a very com-
fortleſs and undefirable State. For this reafon
we find, that however various and inconſtant
the Humours of Mankind may be, yet the
focial Principle ftill remains in fome degree in
the moſt depraved and corrupted part of the
Species; and a perfect Mifanthropist is as
mere a Chimera as any we meet with in the
Fictions of the Poets. Every Man has his
Knot of Friends and Acquaintance, his little
Commonwealth, whofe Affairs fit near his
Heart, and to whoſe Intereſt he can ſometimes
with
great chearfulneſs facrifice his own. Peo-
ple of this Stamp are much oftner found in Pairs
in the Fields, or a Garden, than at the croud-
ed Levee, or in the debating Senate. And
perhaps it were happy for Mankind, if they
were all of the fame quiet and unafpiring Dif
pofition; and that the World carried a Face
of leſs Intrigue and Policy, than what it wears
at preſent. But fince fo it is, that Ambition
and Luft of Power, under the diſguiſe of ge.
nerous publick Spirit, and extenfive Benefi-
cence to Mankind, have and do thrust them-
felves into the Bufinefs and Management of
the greater and more numerous Communities;
it is the duty of the peaceable and well inclin-
ed few, who make not a mere pretence of
Love to their Fellow-Creatures, to rouſe
Z3
1
them.
342 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
themſelves up in behalf of Virtue, and prevent
the little, the intereſted, and defigning Med-
dlers in Affairs from ufurping the fole Direction
of them, and employing their Power in the
deſtruction of what it was intended to preferve.
And they who are fo enamoured of Retire-
ment, as to decline a Service of this nature,
have no claim to the Encomiums attending the
Retreat of the Wife and Good, who having
acted their part on the publick Theatre, are
defirous to deſcend from that Character, and
enjoy in private the Pleaſure of reflecting on
their paſt Labours, when they are no longer
in capacity to continue them.
IF thefe Thoughts fhould happen to prove
agreeable to yours, as from fome things I have
met with in your Papers, I am apt to think
they may, your fending them into the World
will be eſteemed a Favour to their Author,
who is with much fincerity,
SIR,
Tour humble Servant,
PUBLICOLA,
N° 42€
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 343
No
42. Saturday, January 15, 172%.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Incerta hæc fi tu poftules
Ratione certa facere, nihilo plus agas,
Quam fi des operam, ut cum ratione infanias. TER.
SIR,
T
HO Reaſon be what diſtinguiſhes
Mankind in ſuch a manner, as to
ſtand in the Definition of the Spe-
cies for the very Peculiar, which
gives it a Superiority over all the other Ranks
of Animals; yet I am fometimes apt to think,
that either the Definition is not altogether fo
univerſal as we flatter ourſelves, or elſe, that
this fame boaſted Faculty, thro' ſome ſtrange
Misfortune or other, is in many Cafes rather
a Lofs and Detriment to us, than an Advan-
tage and Privilege.
INTELLIGENCE and Reaſon are frequent-
ly taken in one and the fame Senfe. But with-
out pretending to a very logical exactnefs, I
apprehend it may be eafily fhewn, that there
is a wide difference between them. The one
fuppofes actual Knowledge, the other only a
Faculty of attaining it. Every intelligent
Z4
Perfon
344 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
་
Perfon may juſtly be faid to have Reafon;
but it will not follow that every one who has
Reaſon is a Perfon of Knowledge and Intelli-
gence. It requires no very large Acquaint-
ance among Mankind, to diſcover great num-
bers of People who know much, without ever
having reaſoned much; and others again, who
have reaſoned all their Life long, and yet ne-
ver acquired the fmalleft Pittance of ufeful or
valuable Knowledge.
I BELIEVE, the Panegyricks Men have
beſtowed on themſelves on account of this
admired Faculty, have been one great caufe
why the Generality of them have made fo
little good uſe of it. We have as much Rea-
fon as will ferve to make us proud and pofitive,
but not enough to fhew us the Limits of our
own Underſtanding, or direct us to employ
it in fuch Inquiries as tend to make us wifer
and better, and enable us to paſs thro' Life
profitably to others, and agreeably to our-
felves.
If this were not ſo, a great part of what the
World now a days calls Learning, would abate
much of the Priceit bears, either in the Cloſets
or Converſation of thofe Gentlemen, who ſet
up for mighty Adepts in refined Literature,
and abftrufe Erudition. It is imagined, that
our greateſt Worth and Excellency confifts in
the fhreudness of our Notions, and the Eafe
with which we are able to folve Points of
great Darkneſs and Difficulty. And confe-
quently we rate ourſelves, or other Men, not
accord-
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 345
according to the meaſure of uſeful Knowledge
we have acquired, but according to the Abi-
lities and Labour requifite to the attaining our
Knowledge, whether it be uſeful or not.
THUS let a Man have ever fo ftrong natu-
ral Senſe; let him be well verfed in the Cha-
racters and Tempers of all thofe he has any
kind of Buſineſs with, perfectly acquainted
with the common Affairs of Life, and even no
ftranger to the moſt important and general
Concerns of the Society in which he lives;
yet with all theſe neceffary and valuable Qua-
lifications, he ſhall never acquire, I will not
fay the Title of a Man of Learning, but a-
mong the Gentlemen fo called, the Reputa-
tion of a Man worth converfing with. Know-
ledge, it muſt be own'd he has, and that ſort of
Knowledge too which renders a Man moſt capa-
ble of doing ſervice to his Country, or Mankind.
But becauſe this Knowledge has coſt him little
ſtudy, and given him few Ayocations from
the Buſineſs and Offices of Life, both he and
it have the Misfortune to be reckoned con-
temptible. While the only valuable Men,
the Lights of the World, and the Ornaments
of their Age, are thofe worthy Vegetables,
that have ſpent their whole Lives in amaffing
together
The learned Lumber of an idle Brain.
How deferving fuch Perfons are of the
fplendid and honourable Titles they fo libe-
rally beſtow on each other, may be beft col-
lected
346 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
lected from the Worth of the Diſcoveries their
Labours have produced, and the Emolument
Mankind has received from them. What a
mighty curious and valuable Work would it
be eſteemed, if fome profound Antiquary
ſhould give the World a perfect Account of
the Extent, and ſeveral Stages and Turnings
of the antient Appian Caufe-way? And yet
he who knows the Road from Dublin to
Limerick, knows a Particular of the fame
kind, and of much more importance in the
prefent circumftances of things. Is a Man
to be eſteemed a Perfon of great Wiſdom
and Knowledge, who in his Clofet can with
great exactnefs compute the Value of Attick
Talents, and Roman Sefterces, and yet is
not able to caft up his Club in a Tavern-
Reckoning? Or where is the great difference
betwixt knowing the Size, Figure, and
Height of an antient Greek or Roman Obe-
lisk, and that of the old Tower of Swords,
which at prefent makes fo grand an Appear-
ance in the lately publiſhed Natural History
of Ireland? And what Preeminence has
the Giants Causeway beyond all others in
the Nation, that the Knowledge of it fhould
be accounted a Matter of Science and Lite-
rature, while we eſteem it a trifle to be able to
travel thro' the whole Country without a
Guide?
ALL thefe Inftances, and many more
which might be given, ſerve abundantly to
fhew, that human Reafon is capable of being
very
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 347
very grofly miſapplied, which it could not be,
were it not for the Weakneſs of the Principle
tſelf. For as it is this by which Mankind
ought to be conducted in their Actions, it is
evident, that whenever it leads us into wrong
or trifling Purfuits, it muſt be from fome De-
fect or Error in the Judgment fo mifguided;
it being equally a Miſtake, and indeed of
worfe confequence, becaufe not fo eaſily re-
called, to chufe a wrong Road at firft, as it
is afterwards to go out of the right one. And
therefore our Reafon fails us as much, when
it is employed in infignificant or uſeleſs In-
quiries, however fuccefsful, as when it leads.
us to eſpouſe the wrong fide of a Queſtion of
real ufe and importance. On any other
Scheme, the Reaſon of Children will ftand
as high as that of Perfons grown up to full
maturity of Judgment and Experience; fince
in their little Amuſements and Diversions we
fhall frequently find them carrying on what
they think their buſineſs, by as proper me-
thods and ways as any one elſe could con-
trive for that purpofe. The only Error lies
in the End they propofe to themſelves,
which having nothing valuable in it, juftly
comes under the denomination of childish and
irrational.
IN the fame manner, tho perhaps it may
require as much Forefight, clearness of
Thought, and as fevere an Exerciſe of the
reafoning Faculty, to become a conſiderable
Proficient in the Game of Chefs, as to ar-
rive
348 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
rive at a good degree of Skill in ufeful Mathe-
matical Learning; yet I think it will be
readily granted, that for a Man to employ
his whole time and pains in making himſelf
Maſter of that ſpeculative Amuſement, would
be highly unreaſonable and unmanly. So
that it is not the Exercife of Reafon, confi-
dered merely as fuch, which renders Men ufe-
ful or valuable, but exercifing it in ſuch a
way, and in fuch purſuits, as will moſt effec-
tually enable us to promote our own true
Happineſs, and the Intereſt of Mankind.
THESE Confiderations may be of uſe, if
carried along with us, in our view of fome
other ways of employing human Reaſon,
which have a more plaufible appearance,
and are generally reckoned among the
higheſt and moſt refined Occupations of the
Underſtanding. Such are the curious and
nice Inquiries into abſtract Truths, and ge-
neral Theorems, which are fo enchanting to
fine and fpeculative Genius's, and have in all
Ages been purſued with fuch eagerness and
induſtry, partly on account of the exquifite
Pleaſure they afford the ftudious Mind, and
partly on a fuppofition of their opening a way
to noble and important Diſcoveries.
BUT whoever has been acquainted with
the Hiſtory of Learning, and the Nature of
abſtract Knowledge, cannot be ignorant, that
this laſt End, which is indeed the only true
End of Reaſon, and ought to be the chief
deſign of all learned Inquiries, has ſeldom
I
been
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 349
been much advanced, nor bids very fair for
being fo, by the more fubtle and metaphyfi-
cal kind of Studies. All the Objects of our
Knowledge (as Mr. Locke, one of the beſt
and moft rational of the whole Train of Phi-
lofophers, has largely demonſtrated) are par-
ticular Beings, from the Properties and Rela-
tions of which all our abſtract Ideas, and ge.
neral Maxims are drawn, by the Mind re-
flecting on itſelf, and what paffes within it.
From whence it is evident, that our Know-
ledge is lefs or greater, the fewer or more par-
ticular things we are acquainted with, and
that the Ufe of general Truths is only to fup-
ply the Defects of our Knowledge in Particu-
lars. And therefore they who make an E-
lopement from the World, that great Store-
houfe of Materials of true and uſeful Know-
ledge, and to fhun the Converfation of Man-
kind, hide themfelves in their Cloſets, to
hunt after Effences and Ideas, Substances and
Accidents, Concretes and Abstracts, and fuch
like, feem to me to begin at the wrong end, and
to act full as abfurdly as they who fhould at-
tempt to teach one the four and twenty Let-
ters, by giving a Grammatical Definition of
the Alphabet. At leaſt it is much like learn-
ing to Read, and then making no other Ufe
of it than to ſtudy Orthography and Syntax.
THE uncertainty of theſe Studies is an-
other convincing Proof of the mifapplication
of Reaſon in purſuing them. All Men have
never yet, and probably never will come to
an
350 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
an agreement what Sigus fhall conftantly and
precifely ſtand for the Ideas in their Minds.
And this muſt neceffarily occafion infinite
wrangling and confufion in ſpeaking about
them. The real Effences, and a great many
Qualities of all Beings, are, by the confeffion
of the whole philofophical World, utterly un-
known, and ever will be fo to all finite Un-
derſtandings. To what purpoſe therefore do
Men inquire into the Nature of Beings, where-
in all they can gain by their inquiries is the
Knowledge of their being incomprehenfible?
What have I got when I have learned the
whole Syſtem of Doctrines relating to Ideas,
and the various ways we come by them, the
different Comprehenfion and Extent of them,
how they are diſtinguiſhed and compared in
the Mind, and the Neceffity of having them
clear and determinate in order to the diſcovery
of the Truth? Where, I fay, is the Advan-
tage I have gained by all this? Will this help
me to underſtand myſelf, or Human Nature
the better? Will it improve my Affections,
or make me more prudent in the management
of my Affairs? Does it enlarge my Knowledge
to be told, that my Ideas are the immediate
Objects of it? Or will my being made ſenſi-
ble, that I cannot difcover Truth without
having clear Ideas, free me from my prefent
Darkneſs and Confufion? I fanfy, whoever
ſhall ſeriouſly ask theſe Queſtions of his own
Heart, will fee little reaſon for valuing him-
ſelf upon fuch Accompliſhments. What then
muſt
HIBERNICUS'S Letters. 351
muſt it be to devote a whole Life to fuch
empty and barren Speculations? Is not this
living to ſtudy, inſtead of ſtudying to live?
Is it not exercifing Reaſon, merely for the
fake of exerciſing it; and a perpetual airing
of the Underſtanding, inſtead of employing it
in Buſineſs? And what does this come to at
laft, but cum Ratione infanire?
How many Men have made themſelves
afelefs to this Planet they lived upon, by
computing the Diſtances and Magnitudes of
thofe that roll about it? And yet we are
not at a much greater certainty about the
true Syſtem of the Univerſe than formerly.
And tho we could arrive at it, I would fain
know, what Mankind would be the better
for it; fince it is impoffible to contrive any
means of Communication between them and
us. I know, it has been ſaid, that this kind
of Knowledge tends to give us more auguſt
and exalted Notions of the Divine Power and
Wifdom. This however is an Effect còn-
fined to a very few Perfons, who by apply-
ing their Genius fome other way, might have
glorified God much more effectually, by pro-
moting the Happineſs of his Creatures. Be-
fides, he muſt be a ſtupid Wretch indeed, who
does not with his naked Eye find room e-
nough to admire infinite Power and Wiſdom
in the Formation of the Univerſe, without the
affiftance of Teleſcopes, or the Knowledge of
the Newtonian Philofophy. For my part, I
cannot conceive, how the Knowledge of the
vaſt
352 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
vaſt Diſtance and Greatness of the Sun, fhould
more influence our Love and Admiration,
than that genial Warmth, and chearful Light,
which he communicates to the whole human
Race. Nor am I afham'd to own my ſelf
one of thoſe dull Souls, who think the Stars,
as they appear in the glorious Canopy of Hea-
ven in a ferene Evening, full as beautiful a
Picture, as when I conceive them fo many
Suns, furrounded with their attendant Pla-
nets, and Satellites.
I DESIRE not to be miſunderſtood, as if
by what I have ſaid in this, and a former Pa-
per on the fame Subject, I entirely diſapprove
of the more curious Parts of Learning. No;
I think them proper Amuſements for the lei-
fure hours of a wife and good Man. But
there is a great difference betwixt making a
Recreation and a Bufinefs of them; which
laft is only what I condemn, wherein tho I
fhould happen to think a little amifs, yet I
perfuade my felf, the Lovers of Mankind will
not judge my Miſtake utterly unpardonable.
I am, Sir,
Tour humble Servant,
HIBERNICU s.
N°
43.
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 353
N°
43.
Saturday, January 22,` 1722.
To HIBERNICUS.
Non ita funt diffimili argumento, fed tamen
Diffimili oratione ſunt fàéta ac ſtylo.
SIR,
T
TER.
HE kind Reception given to a
Paraphrafe of a Divine Poem which
I formerly fent you, cannot but
be very agreeable to me on a dou-
ble account, both as it feems an
Approbation of a Performance I was under
fome concern about, and a Proof of an Af
fertion I then advanced, that the general
Taſte is nothing fo corrupt and vitious, as
ſome Authors have endeavoured to perfuade
us it is, in order to excuſe the indecent Liber-
ties taken by themſelves.'
THE Spaniards have a Proverb among
them, That he is a Fool who cannot write
two Verfes; and none but a Madman will
write four. This diminutive Idea of Poetry
was certainly taken up from the ill or imper-
tinent Uſes to which that Art has, in all
Ages, been too much applied. But as it is
the height of Injuftice to condemn any Art or
VOL. I.
Science.
A a
354 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Science, becauſe of the Folly or Blunders of
its Profeffors; fo it is a great pity, that Poe-
try ſhould be reckoned only a trifling Amuſe-
ment, a mere Jeu d'Esprit, becauſe fome
People have made nothing of it but a Vehicle
for extravagant Conceits, or the more perni-
cious Conceptions of a polluted Imagination.
They who have been converfant in the Wri-
tings of Antiquity muſt be ſenſible, that a juſt
and regular Poem is one of the greateſt and
most difficult Schemes the Wit of Man is ca-
pable of forming.
It is not the pointing of an Epigram, or
the delicate turning of a Sonnet, in which
the Dignity and Excellency of Poetry con-
fifts. The Knowledge of Nature and Man-
kind is required in Compofitions, which de-
rive all their Power of pleafing from the juft
and beautiful Reprefentation of Things, or
Perfons, as they either are or may be. Agree-
able hereunto we find Horace eſtabliſhing this
as a fundamental Rule for all kinds of Wri-
ting,
Scribendi recte SAPERE eft Principium & Fons.
And the fame Author, than whom perhaps no
Man ever better understood Human Nature,
when he deſcribes the Qualifications of one
fit to entertain and inftruct the Publick by
Poetical Performances, gives him all the Ac-
compliſhments requifite for diſcharging the
higheſt and moſt important Duties of Life.
Qui
HIBERNICUS's LettersLetters.
. 355
Qui didicit patria quid debeat, & quid amicis,
Quo fit amore parens, quo frater amandus, & hofpes,
Quod fit Confcripti, quod Judicis officium, quæ
Partes in bellum miffi ducis ; ille profecto
Reddere perfonæ fcit convenientia cuique.
If theſe ought to be the Qualities of a Poet,
it is evident, that a Poem muſt have fome-
thing elſe to render it truly fuch, beſides Beau-
ty of Phraſe and Harmony of Numbers; and
confequently that all the Cenfures which lie
againſt Poetry, are not owing to the Art it-
felf, but to thoſe who have put off Trifling or
Profaneneſs under that Name, and thereby
made the Art fuffer in the fame manner that
fome others have done, thro' the Unskilful-
neſs of impudent Pretenders.
#
WHAT I now fend you is on a Subject the
fittest for Poetry of all others, and which, if
more frequently purſued by thoſe who excel
in the Art, would very quickly remove the
Objections which many wife and learned
Men have raiſed againſt it. Like what you
have already done me the favour to publiſh,
it is a Hymn to the Creator and Governor of
the World, which celebrates his Praiſes from
different Topicks, and in a different manner.
The one defcribes the Divine Power and Ma-
jeſty in the wonderful Structure and Contri-
vance of the great Univerſe; while the other
is confined to his Omniſcience, and his Wif
dom and Goodneſs in the Formation of Man.
This therefore is writ with more Simplicity,
A a
tho
•
356 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
tho not lefs Beauty; and does not confift fo
much of exalted Deſcriptions, and bold Me-
taphors, as of a certain Delicacy of Thought
and concealed Antithefis, which runs quite
thro' it: To preferve which, without lofing
the Gravity of the Poem, and giving it too
much of the Epigrammatick Turo, has been
the chief Care and Difficulty of the Author of
the following Tranflation. But confidering
how hard it is to hit the true Meaning and
Genius of the Eaſtern Writers, he has a great
deal of reafon to be diffident of his Perfor-
mance.
It has been thought proper to put this Piece
into a different Meaſure, and Turn of Language
from the former, and even to throw it into
the Reſtraint of Rhyme and Stanza, in com-
pliance with a Cuftom to which all the modern
Languages have fo long fubmitted. However,
as every one knows that Rhyme was the In-
vention of a barbarous Age, fo the Tranfla-
tor is of opinion, that inftead of being an
Advantage, it is a Blemiſh and a Fault in our
Verfification, and has nothing truly graceful,
but rather offenfive to a well-tuned Ear. It
were therefore much to be wifhed, that in all
the nobler kinds of Poetry at leaſt, it could
be intirely laid afide. Our Tragic Writers
havefe en the Advantage of baniſhing it from
their Compoſitions. And furely it muſt be
only Timorouſneſs which hinders them from
afferting their Liberty in all others. But this
would be too bold an Attempt for any but
fome
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 357
fome great Genius, Inheriter of Milton's Spi-
rit, as well as Choice, whofe high Command
in the Realms of Parnaffus might give him
fufficient Authority to juftify an Innovation,
which has been already more than once en-
deavoured in vain.
I am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
MUSOPHILUS.
PSALM CXXXIX. Paraphraſed.
Mr
Y Heart and all my Ways, O God,
By thee are fearch'd, and known ;
My ev'ry Act thine Eye perceives
As quickly as my own.
Attendant on my Steps all Day
Thy Providence I fee,
And in the Solitude of Night,
Am preſent ſtill with thee.
My Words thou know³ft, ere from my Lips
The vocal Accents part,
Or yet my brooding Thoughts have form'd
Their purpoſe in my Heart.
Fruitless are all th' attempts I make
To hide from thee my Face;
Thy mighty Power furrounds me ftill,
And ſtill thy Arms embrace.
A a 3
Oh!
358 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Oh! how is Thought within me loft,
When I this Depth explore,
Where all that Thought itſelf can do
Is, tremble and adore?
The boundless Realms of Space no Room
Where thou art abfent know;
In Heav'n thou reign'ft a glorious King,
An awful Judge below.
The Morn's ſwift Wings could I aſſume,
And travel with the Sun,
Thy Swifter Hand would check my Course,
Ere half my Courfe were run.
Or fhould I court the Midnight Gloom
To ſhade me from thy Sight,
The Midnight Gloom at thy Approach
Would kindle into Light.
Darkneſs it ſelf affords no Veil,
Nor Screen can interpofe
Against that Pow'r, at whofe Command
The Morning firft aroſe.
Goodness, and Majefty, and Pow'r
Thro' all thy Works are fhown;
Brightly difplay'd in Nature's Frame,
Nor faintly in my own.
When in the dark and filent Womb
A doubtful Form I lay,
Tet then thine Eye did find me out,
And carefully furvey.
By
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 359
By thee their various Place and Vfe
Were all my Parts affign'd,
Ere yet thofe Parts a Being had
But in thy forming Mind.
Thy Pow'r unſeen, with curious Art
Th' unfightly Speck did frame,
Till from thy Hand a finish'd Piece
The wondrous Fabrick came.
Ten thouſand thousand times my Life
I to thy Goodness owe;
Thy daily Care preſerves the Gift
Thy Bounty did beftow.
Thy Mercies to my ravish'd Soul
Appear in Number more,
A Heap more difficult to fum
Than all the fanded Shore.
With conftant Joy my waking Thoughts
To thee, my God, shall flow,
Who with impartial Justice lay'ft
The proud Oppreffor low.
Far from me keep th' unholy Croud,
That impiously profane
God's righteous Laws, and takebis Name,
His awful Name, in vain.
No more regard I private Wrongs,
When Men difhonour thee;
Thy Foes, whoever are thy Foes,
I count the fame to me.
Yet
A 2 4
360 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Yet if within my treacherous Heart
There cught amifs fhould prove,
Oh! fearch the lurking Mischief out,
And by thy Grace remove.
And if my Ways have been perverſe,
Or foolish in thy fight,
Recall them, Lord, and in thy own
Conduct, and fet me right.
N°
44.
Saturday, January 29, 1723.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Nos & mutamur in illis.
SIR,
A
OVID.
MONG the many Entertain-
ments to be met with in our Ob-
fervations on Mankind, there is
none, in my Opinion, more amu-
fing, than what arifes from their
different Habits, and the furprizing Revolu-
tions fo frequently brought about by inven-
tive Fancies in the buſineſs of Dreſs.
TIME was, when the People of every
Nation were as well known by their Habit
as their Language. To put on a foreign Dreſs
was reckoned a renouncing of one's native
Country;
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 361
Country; and a Man was almoſt as ill look-
ed upon for turning his Coat as his Religion.
Innovations in Drefs were always reckoned
as Prognoftications of ill Deſigns on the
State. And for that reafon it is not much to
be wondered at, that a Fashion has in fome
Countries been known to laſt almoſt as long
as a Form of Government.
THE antient Romans are recorded to have
been remarkably tenacious in this Point.
They held the Violation of their Cuftoms to
be the next Step to an Attempt on their Liber-
ty. And among the glorious Titles they
affumed, there is none they feemed more
paffionately fond of than the Nation of
Gownmen; an Appellation given them by
Virgil, in the fame breath wherein he com-
pliments them as the Rulers of Mankind, and
Lords of the Univerſe.
By means of this their inviolable Attach-
ment to their Clothing, the Learned World
has received unſpeakable Satisfaction and Im-
provement. The Antiquaries and Criticks
have been enabled to carry on their Diſco-
veries with great Clearnefs and Certainty,
and to fettle the moſt difficult Points de Re
Veftiaria with demonftrative and fcientific
Exactneſs, ſuitable to the Dignity and Impor-
tance of the Subject. Whereas had the Fashion
been as fluctuating with them as it is among
us, it would have been impoffible, humanly
ſpeaking, to have ever reduced matters to a
juſt and regular Syſtem. Authors would have
caught
362 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
caught cold in vain in adjuſting the Figure
and Dimenſions of a Roman Night-Cap.
Many a fore Throat would have been con-
tracted to no manner of purpofe in difputing
the Queſtion, whether or no Caius Marius
ever wore a Cravat. And the learned Gra-
vius would have found his Head ache much
more after an inquiry into the Form of the
Hat worn by the Dictator Sylla, when he
faluted Pompey by the Title of the Great,
than ever it did after a Debauch of Old-Hock
with the King of Poland. Not to mention
the innumerable Inconveniences which might
have followed from many profound Scholars
being obliged to fit up all Night, and leave
their Wives to lie alone, before ever we
fhould have had a juft, or even any tole-
rable account of the Cut, Number and Quan-
tity of Sempronia's Petticoats; or after what
manner the adventurous Clelia, and the bold
Companions of her Flight were tuck'd up,
when they forded the Tiber in the prefence.
of Porfena, and his Army.
OUR British Anceſtors are alſo no leſs
celebrated for their fteddy adherence to one
kind of decent and foldierly Garb. In thoſe
times it was cfteemed no light matter to
fhake a bold Briton out of his Doublet.
An
Engliſhman would have thought it an eternal
difgrace to have parted with his Coat, not-
withſtanding what any three of the beſt Men
ever France produced could do to him; tho
now one Taylor from that Country, has the
}
vanity
}
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 363
vanity to think himſelf able to make the
whole Nation caft their Clothes, and to cut
the Conquerors of his Grand Monarque at
Hochftet and Rammellies, into whatever
Shape he pleaſes.
IT muſt be owned however, that our
Anceſtors were a rude and unpolished kind
of People, who underſtood little of any thing
genteel or elegant in Life. Nothing was
more uſual, than for Perfons of the higheſt
Quality and Diftinction to feed upon Beef
and Bag-pudding, and that too at conftant
and regular hours. Being extremely vain and
infolent on account of their Liberty and
Property, they imagined it below them to
imitate the Manners or Cuftoms of any of
their Neighbours, as being a Mark if not of
Servitude at leaſt of Inferiority. Jealous to
the laſt degree of the Honour of their Coun-
try, they held it for a Maxim, never to re-
cede from the leaft Tittle of their Privileges,
an effential part of which, they thought con-
fined in the Right of wearing their Clothes in
the precife Cut and Faſhion tranſmitted to
them by their Anceſtors.
THIS unaccountable Humour continued
for many Ages. And it is no leſs pleaſant
than furprizing to obferve in Speed's Chroni-
cle, and other old Hiftories, the Pictures of
our antient Monarchs. They cannot be fo
properly faid to be dreffed, as to be clothed.
Every thing about them feems rather defigned
to keep out the Cold, or keep off an Enemy,
than
364 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
than to make a courtly Appearance, or at-
tract the Eyes of a Miftrefs. Befides, there
can be nothing imagined more offenſive, to
the Ladies especially, than the huge grifly
Beards, which generally cover'd more than
one half of their Faces. Whether it was
uſual with them to pare their Nails, Hiſtory
does not inform us. But this is certain, that
fhould one of our antient Heroes make his
entrance into a modern Aſſembly in his own
proper Garb and Accoutrements, he would
go near to frighten all the Ladies out of the
Room, who were not experienced Widows,
and turned of five and forty.
Ar length, but at a mighty Diſtance of
Time, we abated of our Fierceness, and fub-
mitted, tho unwillingly, and by flow degrees,
to receive ſome Information and Refinements.
We agreed to let our Bodies get a little more
of the freſh Air, than had been formerly ad-
mitted. And the Ladies, notwithſtanding
their more tender and delicate Conſtitution,
came with ſo much readineſs into the Deſign
of civilizing us, that it was obſervable, they
made a much quicker progrefs in ftripping
than the Men. Troufers and Trunk-Breeches
were new modelled after fuch a manner, as
to give the Fair a better View of their Gal-
lants Limbs; and this was foon after rewarded
with the abrogation of the Ruff, and the pub-
lick appearance of fnowy Bofoms thro' the
Nation. It is true, fome time before the
Civil War, a Spindle-ſhanked Generation of
I
wild
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 365
wild young Sparks found means to bring Boots
into the Mode, and ferved all the well-limb'd
Fellows the fame Trick, which was endea-
voured to have been put upon the Foxes,
by him who in the Fable is faid to have loſt
his Tail. But the Defign of this Faſhion was
ſo very evident, that it could only keep its
fo
ground during the Times of the publick Con-
fufion, and was laid afide as foon as the Af-
fairs of the Nation were fettled: After which
both Sexes united their Endeavours, and kept
fuch good Intelligence with each other, that
in a very few years there fucceeded a great
Reformation; and the Refolution of difen-
cumbering themfelves of that Load of Gar-
ment under which their Anceſtors had groan-
ed, was profecuted with all imaginable Suc-
cefs.
09
Of all the Parts of the antient Rufticity,
the Beard was what made the longeſt re-
fiſtance, and required the greateſt Labour to
extirpate. It difputed its Ground inch by
inch, and fuftained innumerable Attacks be-
fore it could be retrenched into a Whisker
under which Denomination it continued to
ſupport its Character and Figure for feveral
years. Oliver Cromwell is the firft upon
Record, who had the boldness intirely to
fupplant it. And ſo prejudiced were People
even then in favour of their antient Cuſtoms,
that it was reckoned a bare-faced Innovation,
and as grievously refented as the Acts of Par-
liament diſcharging the old Iriſh from plow-
ing
366 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
ing with Horſe-Tails. But whether this
might not be partly owing to the Hatred
People bore to that Ufurper, will remain a
Doubt; eſpecially fince upon the Reſtoration
we do not hear of any attempts made to give
the Beard the leaft fatisfaction for any former
Defalcations.
PEOPLES Eyes were beginning now to
be opened, and all Arts and Sciences receiv-
ing daily Improvement: the Beau Monde,
not to be behind-hand with the reſt of Man-
kind, fet themſelves with the utmoſt appli-
cation to ſtudy the important Bufinels of
Dreſs in all its Branches. And as new Difco-
veries are the natural Refult of induftrious
Reſearches, it is incredible in how fhort a
time new Theories of Apparel were invented
among us, and how much the Outfides of all
Ranks of Men thro' theſe Nations were al-
tered for the better. Neither the Royal
Academy, nor their Brethren of Gresham
College, can boaſt a greater number of Inven-
tions than our Leaders of the Fafhion. Their
bold Strokes would juſtly entitle them to Im-
mortality, could we but recover the Names
of the Inventors. For to mention no more,
what greater Fragrance can mortal Duft re-
ceive, than from a full-bottomed Wig? Or
is there any Invention, either antient or
modern, more likely to perpetuate a Man's
Memory, than that of a Hoop-Petticoat?
SOME Perfons have been of opinion,
that of late years there has been a Stagnation
of
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 367
of Fancy in the matter of Dreſs, and that
we have not been fo prolific of new Modes
as our immediate Predeceffors. They fay,
we have made no confiderable Alterations or
Improvements in the more important parts of
our Habit, but have contented ourſelves with
a few trifling minute Amendments in the Ap-
purtenances, the Cut of the Sleeve, the Num-
ber and Size of the Buttons, and fuch like.
The Fact, as I take it, is not fairly reprefent-
ed. But allowing it to be fo, I muſt beg par-
don of theſe Gentlemen for faying, that their
Argument appears to me very inconclufive.
For tho indeed Buttons are no integrating
part of the Coat, yet they must be granted
to be of the higheſt moment and utility as
to the Dreſs. And for the Sleeve, I appre-
hend, it would be impertinent to offer at a
Proof of its being effential to the Coat. Our
Anceſtors were fo firmly perfuaded of this,,
that they founded a Maxim upon it, to ſtretch
our Arm no farther than the Sleeve will
reach; which certainly could never have come
into their thoughts, had they not been con-
vinced of its cloſe and infeparable Connection
with the Garment itſelf. It is therefore evi-
dent, from the furprizing Mutations we every
day behold in theſe particulars of Dreſs, that
the Genius of the prefent Age is not in the
leaft upon the decline; but that we may ftill
expect greater and more wonderful Metamor-
phoſes than ever. Would it not be an extra-
ordinary Sight to ſee our Buttons, which laſt
Seafon
368 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Seafon dwindled away fo remarkably, recruit
again of the fudden, and grow up into the
Magnitude of Turnips? And yet feveral wife
Men have looked on fuch a Revolution as no
very remote Profpect. For my own part,
when I confider the fruitful Imaginations and
great Induſtry of the prefent Directors of the
human Superficies, I fhould not be amaz'd at
it, tho we ſhould carry on our Reformation
fo far as to turn the Fore-part of our Coats
backward. And I the rather think this Pro-
ject practicable, becauſe it has been tried al-
ready by feveral very pretty Fellows on their
Shirts, and never failed being attended with
good Success.
THE chief Inconvenience I can foreſee
from the quick Succeffions of our Faſhions is,
what I have already hinted at, the difficulty
future Antiquaries will lie under in inſtructing
Poſterity how their Forefathers were clothed.
If a kind of Arfenal were erected, and one
Suit of Clothes of every Faſhion, compoſed
of Brafs, or any other durable Matter, hung
up in it, it would certainly be of prodigious
Emolument to the Commonwealth of Learn-
ing. But as this is a very great Undertaking,
and would probably require a National Ex-
pence, I fhall be tender of advancing any Pro-
pofal of that nature at preſent, and leave it to
be confidered by Pofterity, when Affairs ſhall
be in a more favourable poſture for the execu-
tion of ſo uſeful a Deſign.
I KNOW
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 369
I KNOW fome of my more ferious Rea-
ders will be ready to ask, what I mean by
all this, and what can be the uſe of a Differ-
tation on fuch a Subject? The only Anſwer
I thall make them, is what Mr. Dryden faid
in a parallel Cafe; Let them read it over,
and think again. Hard were the Lot of us
mortal Authors, if upon every Occafion our
Readers thought fit, we were obliged to
come to an Explanation. At this rate, there
would be no end of our Labour. Befides,
where is the Confequence, that we have no
Meaning, when they do not fee it? They
fhould rather conclude, we have a Meaning
in endeavouring to conceal it. I hope there-
fore, they will not take it amifs, if they do
not fully underſtand every thing in this Dif-
courſe, but patiently wait for fome more
convenient Seaſon, wherein I may perhaps
give them a Maſter-Key to all the obfcure
Paffages in it, and explain the feveral im-
portant Points of Morality and Speculation
contained in them.
I
am, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
Vol. I.
B b
N°
45.
*
हर
370 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
N°
45.
Saturday, February 4, 172%.
TO HIBERNICUS.
Nunquam aliud natura aliud fapientia dicit.
Juv.
SIR,
A
GREAT part of your Readers
muſt have heard of a Book entitled,
Private Vices publick Benefits.
I do not intend any Anſwer to
that Book; but rather hereafter
to fhew it to be unanswerable, notwithſtand-
ing the zealous Attempts of fome of the
Clergy. Yet it is to be hoped that that Au-
thor's Performance will not fuperfede the
Labours of others on the fame Subject, with-
out defign of anſwering what he has wrote.
IT is not the Intereft of every Writer to
free his Words from Ambiguity. Private
Vices publick Benefits, may fignify any one
of theſe five diſtinct Propofitions: viz. Pri-
vate Vices are themſelves publick Benefits:
Or, Private Vices naturally tend, as the
direct and neceffary Means, to produce pub-
lick Happiness: Or, Private Vices by dex-
trous Management of Governors may be
made to tend to publick Happiness: Or,
Private
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 371
Private Vices natively and neceffarily flow
from publick Happiness: Or laftly, Private
Vices will probably flow from publick
Profperity thro' the prefent Corruption of
Men. Were it proper to croud your Margin
with Citations, you fhould have feveral Paf-
fages of that Book for each of thefe five Sen-
rences, as if it were the Meaning of the Title.
Far be it therefore from a candid Writer to
charge upon him any one of theſe Opinions
more than another; for if we treat him fair-
ly, and compare the feveral Parts of his Work
together, we fhall find no ground for fuch
a Charge.
WHAT his own private Happiness is, any
one may know by reflecting upon the feveral
forts of pleaſant Perceptions he is capable of.
We imagine our Fellows capable of the fame,
and can in like manner conceive publick
Happiness. They are happy who have what
they defire, and are free from what occafions
Pain. He is in a fure State of Happineſs,
who has a fure Profpect that in all parts of
his Exiſtence he ſhall have all things which
he defires, or at leaſt thofe which he moft
earneſtly defires, without any confiderable
pains. He is miferable who is under grievous
Pain, or who wants what he moſt violently
defires.
THERE is one old Diftinction of our Defires,
according as fome of them are preceded na-
turally by a Senſe of Pain, previouſly to any
Opinion of Good to be found in the Object;
Bb 2
which
372 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
which is deſired chiefly in order to remove
the Pain; whereas other Defires ariſe only
upon a previous Opinion of Good in the
Object, either to ourſelves, or to thoſe we
love. Theſe Defires, tho they do not pre-
Suppose any ſenſe of Pain previous to the
Opinion, yet may be attended with Pain,
when the Object imagined to be good is un-
certain. The former fort of Defires are called
Appetites; the latter Affections, or Paffions.
The Pains of the Appetites when they are
not gratified are unavoidable. But the Pains
of many diſappointed Paffions might have
been prevented, by correcting the falfe Opi-
nions, or by breaking foolish Affociations of
Ideas, by which we imagine the moſt mo-
mentous Good or Evil to be in theſe Objects
or Events, which really are of little or no
confequence in themfelves.
No Reafon or Inftruction will prevent
fenfible Pain, or ftop a craving Appetite.
Men muft first be free from violent bodily
Pain, and have what will remove Hunger and
Thirſt, before they can be made happy.
Thus much is abfolutely neceffary. If there
be but ſmall Pleaſure attending the Enjoyment
of the bare Neceſſaries of Life, yet there is
violent Pain in their abſence Whatever far-
ther Pleaſures Men enjoy, we may count fo
much pofitive Happiness above Neceffity.
THE World is fo well provided for the
fupport of Mankind, that ſcarce any Perfon
in good health need be ftraitned in bare
Neceffaries.
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 373
The
Neceffaries. But fince Men are capable of a
great diverfity of Pleaſures, they muſt be
ſuppoſed to have a great variety of Defires,
even beyond the Neceffaries of Life.
commoneſt Gratifications of the Appetites
do not fatisfy them fully: They defire thoſe
Objects, which give fome more grateful Sen-
fations, as well as allay their Pain; they have
Perceptions of Beauty in external Objects,
and defire ſomething more in Dreſs, Houſes,
Furniture, than mere Warmth or neceffary
Vfe. There is no Mortal without fome Love
towards others, and defire of the Happineſs
of fome other Perfons as well as his own.
Men naturally perceive fomething amiable in
obferving the Characters, Affections and
Tempers of others, and are ftruck with a
Harmony in Manners, fome Species of Mora-
lity, as well as with a Harmony of Notes.
They are fond of the Approbation of each
other, and defirous of whatever either di-
rectly procures Approbation and Efteem, or,
by a confuſed Affociation of Ideas, is made
an Evidence of any valuable Ability or kind
Difpofition. Wealth and Power are in like
manner defired, as foon as we obferve their
Uſefulneſs to procure any kind of Pleaſures.
SINCE then our Defires are fo various,
and all Defire of an Object, while it is un-
certain, is accompanied with fome Uneasiness;
to make a Society happy, it muſt be ne-
ceffary, either to gratify all Defires, or to
fupprefs, or at leaſt to regulate them. The
Rh
univerfal
374 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
univerfal Gratification is plainly impoffible,
and the univerfal fuppreffing or rooting them
out as vain an attempt. What then remains,
in order to publick Happineſs after the ne-
ceffary ſupply of all Appetites, muſt be to
ftudy, as much as poffible, to regulate our
Defires of every kind, by forming juft Opi-
nions of the real Value of their feveral Öb-
jects, fo as to have the ſtrength of our De-
fires proportioned to the real Value of them,
and their real Moment to our Happineſs.
Now all Men of Reflection, from the Age of
Socrates to that of Addifon, have fufficiently
proved that the trueft, moft conftant, and
lively Pleasure, the happieſt enjoyment of
Life confiſts in kind Affections to our Fellow-
creatures, Gratitude and Love to the Deity,
Submiſſion to his Will, and Truft in his Pro-
vidence, with a Courfe of fuitable Actions.
This is the true Good in our power, which
we can never too ftrongly defire. The Plea-
fures of this kind are fo great and durable,
and fo much above the power of Fortune, fo
much ſtrengthened by the probable Hope of
every other valuable Pleaſure of Life, efpe-
cially the Efieem and Love of our Fellows,
or at leaſt of the better part of them, that
other Pleaſures feem almoſt to vaniſh when
feparated from them; and even the greateſt
Pains feem fupportable if they do not ex-
clude them. By this means we may be fure,
if not of all the Pleaſures we can defire, yet
of thoſe which we moft defire, and which
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 375
may make our Exiſtence agreeable to ourſelves
in the abſence of others.
THIS thorow Correction of our Opinions
will not indeed extinguiſh our Appetites, or
prevent all Pain; but it will keep our Appe-
tites unmixed with foreign Ideas, ſo as to be
fatisfied with the plaineft nouriſhing Food,
without being diſturbed by Imaginations of
Worth, Dignity, and Merit, in a manner
of Living which is not in our power. We
may in like manner break the foolish Con-
junction of Moral Ideas with the finer fort
of Habitation, Dress, Equipage, Furniture,
fo as not to be dejected upon the unavoidable
want of fuch things; we may learn to look
upon them as they really are, without imagin-
ing them neceffary to a happy and honour-
able Life, however they may be fome ad
ditional Advantage to it.
THEN We may obferve, that tho this cor-
recting our Opinions and Imaginations will
make the Abſence of the Pleafures above
Neceffity very tolerable to us, and cut off
many vain Anxieties, yet no Perfon is there-
by rendered infenfible of any real Pleafure
which thefe Objects do give. Tho we fhall
not look upon them as the Chief Good in
Life, or preferable to the Publick Intereft,
to our Virtue, or our Honour; yet, when
they can be enjoyed confiftently with fupe-
rior Pleaſures, our Senfe of them may be as
acute as that of others. An affectionate
Temper never ftupified the Palate; Love of
Bb 4
a
376 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
a Country, a Family, or Friends, never ſpoil-
ed a Tafte for Architecture, Painting, or
Sculpture; the Knowledge of the true Mea-
fures and Harmony of Life, never vitiated
an Ear, or Genius for the Harmony of Mu-
fick or Poetry. This certainly is the only
way in our power of preferving the full Reliſh
for all the Pleaſures of Life, and yet fecuring
our felves againſt its Pains.
But if the fulleft prefent Enjoyment can-
not make the human Mind eafy and fully
fatisfied; if we be difturbed by the Uncer-
tainty either of external Objects, or of our
own Existence in this World; if
any are fub-
jected to fuch acute Pains, that nothing can
make them amends for them in this Life; if
no Man can be ſure but this may be his Con-
dition in the future part of his Exiſtence in
this Life; if the prefent feeming Diſorders
and Calamities, fometimes befalling the beſt
of Men, and the infolent Profperity of the
worſt, diſturb an honeft compaffionate Heart:
The Hope of a Future State is the only
univerfal Support to all Conditions of good
Men, which can make them fully fatisfied
with their Exiſtence at all adventures; efpe-
cially if the Means of obtaining this future
Happineſs are no way oppofite to their great-
eſt preſent Happinefs.
'Tis too improbable, I own, that all
Men will ever thus correct their vain Opi-
nions and Imaginations: But whoever do fo
in any meaſure, are fo much the happier :
And
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 377
And if all did fo, all would be as near Happi-
neſs as our preſent State will allow. No
Trade, no Manufacture, or ingenious Art
would be funk by it, which produces any
new Pleafures to the Senfes, Imagination, or
Underſtanding, without bringing along with
it prepollent Evil.
IT is obvious to all, that in a Nation of
any tolerable Extent of Ground, three fourths
employed in Agriculture will furnish Food
to the whole. Were this Land divided to
all, except a few Artificers to prepare Inftru-
ments of Husbandry, the whole Nation muſt
want all the Pleaſure arifing from other Arts,
fuch as fine convenient Habitations, beauti-
ful Dress, Furniture, and handy Utensils.
There would be no Knowledge of Arts, no
agreeable Amuſements or Diverfions; and
they muſt all be idle one half of their Time,
fince much of the Husbandman's Time is
now ſpent in providing Materials for more
curious Arts. Would it be adviſable to any
impartial Mind, who regarded the good of
the whole, to keep them in this State, and
to prohibit all Arts but Husbandry, with
what was abfolutely neceffary to it, confining
them to their Huts, and Caves, and Beaſts
Skins, to fecure them from Cold; allowing
them no farther Compenfation for the Con
veniences they might procure by Induſtry,
than the pleaſure of Idleness for half their
Lives? What other Anfwer do we need to
this Queſtion, than what every one will give
for himſelf?
WHAT
378 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
WHAT Man, who had only the abfolute
Neceffaries of Meat and Drink, and a Cave
or a Beaſt's Skin to cover him, would not,
when he had leiſure, labour for farther Con-
veniences, or more grateful Food? Would
not every Mortal do fo, except fome few pre-
tended Gentlemen inured to Sloth from their
Infancy, of weak Bodies and weaker Minds,
who imagine the lower Imployments below
their Dignity? Does not the univerfal choice
of Mankind, in preferring to bear Labour for
the Conveniences and Elegancies of Life,
fhew that their Pleafures are greater than thoſe
of Sloth, and that Industry, notwithſtanding
its Toils, does really increaſe the Happinets
of Mankind? Hence it is that in every Na-
tion great Numbers fupport themfelves by
Mechanick Arts not abfolutely neceffary;
fince the Husbandman is always ready to
purchaſe their Manufactures by the Fruits of
his Labours, without any Conftraint; which
they would not do if the Pleaſures or Happi-
nefs of Idleness were greater.
This may
fhew us how little Juftice there is in imagining
an Arcadia, or unactive Golden Age, would
ever fuit with the prefent ftate of the World,
or produce more Happineſs to Men than a
vigorous improvement of Arts.
THE Comparative Wealth of any Country
is plainly proportioned to the Quantity of
the whole Produce of Husbandry, and other
Mechanick Arts which it can export. Upon
the Wealth of any Country, when other cir-
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 379
cumſtances are equal, does its Strength de-
pend, or its Power in compariſon with others.
Now if any alledge that the improvement of
Arts by foreign Trade, is at leaſt pernicious
to the Publick Good, by its occafioning many
Calamities to Families, and Deaths in Ship-
wrecks; that therefore the whole would have
been happier without it; let us only confider,
that in computing the good or evil Confe
quences of any Actions, we are not only to
confider the bare Quantities of Good or Evil,
but the Probabilities on both fides. Now had
a Country once as many Inhabitants as would
confume its natural wild Product in their
Caves or Thickets, 'tis plain that according
to the ufual increaſe of Mankind in Peace,
the next Generation could not fubfift without
Labour, and vigorous Agriculture. 'Tis cer-
tain alſo that many Diſeaſes and Deaths are oc-
cafioned by the Labours of Husbandry Is it
therefore for the publick Good that a thouſand
fhould barely fubfiſt as Hottentots without
Labour, rather than the double Number by
Agriculture, tho a ſmall Number ſhould die by
that means? When our Minds are dejected
with old Age, or fudden apprehenfions of
Death or its confequences, we may prefer a
few Days or Hours to all things elfe: But what
Man of good Underſtanding, in found Health,
would not prefer a Life of fixty or feventy
Years with good Accommodation, and a nu-
merous Offspring, to eighty or ninety Years
as a Hottentot or worfe? What Man of com-
:
380 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
mon Senſe would refufe to cross the Channel
for a confiderable Advantage to his Family,
tho they had the bare Neceffaries? And yet
even this Voyage hazards Life more than
ſtaying at home. If the Agriculture of three
fourths can fupport the whole, the other
fourth, by applying themſelves wholly to me-
chanick Arts, will produce more Conveni-
ences or Pleaſures than could be hoped from
a fourth of the Labours of each Man; fince
by confining their Thoughts to a particu-
lar Subject, the Artificers acquire greater
Knowledge and Dexterity in their Work.
Again, if Navigation and foreign Trade will
ſupport more Men than domeſtick Induſtry
and Barter, it may really tend to the good
of the whole, tho it endangers many Lives.
Five Millions fubfifting in any Country by
help of foreign Trade, is a greater Ad-
vantage in the whole than four Millions with-
out Trade, tho in each Age twenty Thou-
fand ſhould perish by Shipwrecks. The
Rates of Infurance will teach us that the
Loffes at Sea are not even in this proportion
to the Number fupported by Trade, many
of whom go not abroad at all, and others
eſcape when the Goods are loft. Either then
the Propagation of Mankind muſt be dimi-
nifhed, or Men muft endure even the hazar-
dous Labours of the Sea. But how few are
there in the World who would not, even
without any conſtraint, hazard a Voyage ra
ther
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 381
ther than die childleſs: nay, rather than
want any conveniences and pleaſures of
Life above Neceffity for themſelves or Fami-
lies? The increaſe therefore of Trade does
plainly tend to the good of the whole, not-
withſtanding all its hazards, which we fee
Men voluntarily fubmit to every day.
Now if any own that the Increafe of
Trade promotes the preſent Happineſs of hu-
man Life in the whole, and yet maintain that
it is vitious; the Debate will turn upon the
Idea of Vice. It is certain that almoſt all
the Heathen Moralifts agreed with him who
Spake as never Man fpake, that Virtue con-
fifts in Love, Gratitude, and Submiſſion to
the Deity, and in kind Affections towards
our Fellows, and ftudy of their greateſt
Good. All Sects, except the Epicureans,
owned that kind Affections were natural
to Men; and that confulting the greateſt
publick Good of the whole, as it was the
fureft way for each Individual to be happy,
fo it was vita fecundum naturam, or fecun-
dum rectam rationem. The Epicureans of
the better fort, however they denied any
Affection diftinct from Self-Love, yet taught
the fame way to private Happineſs, by Rea-
fons like to thofe ufed by Pufendorf, only
without confideration of the Providence of
the Deity, or a future State. If Vice be the
Oppofite to Virtue, viz. Thofe Affections
or Actions which tend to the publick Detri-
ment
382 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
ment, or evidence Ingratitude or Contumacy
towards the Deity, we may eaſily conclude
that the utmoſt Improvement of Arts, Manu-
factures, or Trade, is ſo far from being necef-
farily vicious, that it muſt rather argue good
and virtuous Difpofitions; fince 'tis certain
that Men of the beſt and moſt generous Tem-
pers would defire it for the publick Good.
But this Subject will require farther Con-
fideration.
I am, Sir, yours, &c.
P. M.
N° 46.
Saturday, February 12, 172%.
To HIBERNICUS.
Cui non conveniet fua res, ut calceus olim,
Si pede major erit, fubvertet ; fi minor, uret. Ho R.
SIR,
hison
T
HE only Arguments brought to
prove that Vice tends to the pub-
lick Happineſs of Society in this
World, are thefe, • That the
Power and Grandure of any Na-
tion depends much upon the Numbers of
People and their Induſtry, which cannot be
'procured unleſs there be Confumption of
I
• Manu-
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 383
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Manufactures: Now the Intemperance,
Luxury, and Pride of Men confume Ma
nufactures, and promote Induſtry.' In like
manner it is afferted, That in Fact all weal-
thy and powerful States abound with thefe
Vices, and that their Induſtry is owing to
C them.'
6
C
6
But if it can be made appear that there may
be an equal Confumption of Manufactures
without theſe Vices, and the Evils which flow
from them; that Wealth and Power do not
naturally tend to Vice, or neceffarily pro-
duce it; then, tho we allow that thefe Vices
do confume Manufactures and incourage In-
duſtry in the prefent Corruption of Manners,
and that theſe Vices often attend Wealth and
Power, yet it will be unjust to conclude,
either that Vices naturally tend to publick
Profperity, or are necessary to it; or that
publick Happiness does neceffarily occafion
them.
INTEMPERANCE is that Ufe of Meat
and Drink which is pernicious to the Health
and Vigour of any Perfon in the diſcharge of
the Offices of Life. Luxury is the uſing more
curious and expenfive Habitation, Drefs,
Table, Equipage, than the Perfon's Wealth
will bear, fo as to diſcharge his Duty to his
Family, his Friends, his Country, or the In-
digent. Pride is having an Opinion of our
own Virtues, Abilities, or Perfection of any
kind, in compariſon of others, as greater than
what they really are; arrogating to ourſelves
either
384 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
either Obedience, Service, or external Marks
of Honour, to which we have no Right;
and with this View defiring to equal thofe of
higher Stations in our whole manner of Liv-
ing. There is no fort of Food, Architecture,
Dreſs, or Furniture, the Ufe of which can be
called evil of itſelf. Intemperance and Luxury
are plainly Terms relative to the Bodily Con-
ftitution, and Wealth of the Perfon. Pride,
as it affects our Expences, is alfo relative to
the Station and Fortune of the Perfon; ſo
that it is impoffible to fix one invariable Quan-
tity of Food, one fixed Sum in Expences, the
furpaffing of which ſhould be called Intem-
perance, Luxury, or Pride. Every one's
own Knowledge, and Experience of his Con-
ftitution and Fortune, will fuggeſt to him
what is fuitable to his own Circumſtances,
It is ridiculous to fay, That uſing any thing
above the bare Neceffaries of Life is Intem-
perance, Pride, or Luxury; and that no
other univerfal Boundaries can be fixed
becauſe what in one Station or Fortune is
bare Study of Decency, or Conveniency,
'would be Extravagance in another.' As if
Temperance, Frugality, or Moderation, de-
noted fixed Weights or Meaſures or Sums,
which all were to obferve, and not a. Propor-
tion to Mens Circumstances. Great and Lit-
tle are relative to a Species or Kind. Thofe
Dimenſions are great in a Deer which are
fmall in a Horſe: What is great in a Houſe
would be ſmall in a Mountain. Will any one
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thence
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 385
thence argue, that there can be no adapting
one Form to another, fo that it fhall neither
be too big nor little.? Cannot a Coat fuit a
middle Stature, becauſe the fame Dimenſions
would be too great for a Dwarf, and too lit-
tle for a Giant? If then in each Conftitution,
Station, or Degree of Wealth, a Man of good
Senfe may know how far he may go in Eat-
ing and Drinking, or any other Expences,
without impairing his Health or Fortune, or
hindering any Offices of Religion or Huma-
nity, he has found the Bounds of Temperance,
Frugality, and Moderation for himſelf; and
any other who keeps the fame Proportion, is
equally temperate, tho he eats and drinks, or
fpends more than the other.
THAT theſe are the Ideas of Temperance,
Frugality, and Moderation, given by all
Moralifts antient and modern, except a few
Cynicks of old, and fome Popish Hermits,
is plain to all who read them. All Sects, as
well as Stoicks, recommended the Correction
of our Opinions and Imaginations about
the Pleaſures above Neceffity; and yet the
Uſe of them they all allow, when it is not
inconſiſtent with the Offices of Life: In
fuch Circumſtances they were always looked
upon as preferable to their Contraries. The
Chriftian Law fuggefts nothing contrary to
this; it has fet before us, befide the prefent
Pleaſures of Virtue, which it reprefents as fu-
perior to all others, the Hopes of eternal
Happineſs; yet it frequently recommends
VOL. I.
Се
Dili
386 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Diligence and Induſtry in providing for our-
felves and Families, and for a Fund of good
Offices toward others: It no where condemns
the Rich or Powerful for being fo, or for de-
firing high Stations, unleſs when thefe De-
fires are fo violent as to counteract our Duty.
The requiring fome to part with their Poffef-
fions, was only a candid forewarning of the
firſt Diſciples, what their Profeffion of Chri-
ftianity would probably coft them in thoſe
Days of Perfecution. A Community of Goods
is no where commanded; tho Men who
knew the approaching Perfecution did wifely
fell their Poffeffions, to turn them to the on-
ly valuable Purpoſe then in their power, and
conveyed them to Perſons who could poffefs
them.
SINCE then Intemperance, or Pride, were
fcarce ever underſtood to denote all Uſe of
any thing above bare Neceffaries, all Conve-
niency of Life above Hottentots; why any
one should affect to change their Meaning,
is not eaſily gueffed, unleſs it be with this
View. Luxury, Intemperance, and Pride,
in their common meaning, are Vices; but
in this new Meaning are often innocent, nay
virtuous ; and without them, in this new
Senfe, there can be no Confumption of Manu-
factures. Common Readers however will ftill
imagine that theſe Sounds denote Vices; and
finding that what they confuſedly imagine as
vitious is neceffary to publick Good, they will
loſe their Averfion to moral Evil in general,
and
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 387
and imagine it well compenfated by fome of
its Advantages.
But let us retain the common Meaning of
thefe Words. 'Tis certain, Luxury, Intem-
perance, and Pride, tend to confume Manu-
factures; but the Luxurious, Intemperate,
or Proud, are not awhit the lefs odious, or
free from Inhumanity and Barbarity, in the
neglect of Families, Friends, the Indigent, or
their Country, fince their whole Intention is
a poor
felfish Pleaſure. The Good arifing to
the Publick is no way owing to them, but to
the Induftrious, who muft fupply all Cufto-
mers, and cannot examine whether their Ex-
pences are proportioned to their Fortunes or
not. To illuſtrate this by an Inftance in the
manner of that notable Writer: Suppoſe his
Decio, or Alcander, or Jack, furfeited with
Beef, falls into fome light Diftemper, and in
'hopes of attendance at low Rates, fends for
'a neighbouring Quack: The Quack imagines
no Danger, but makes the Patient believe it ;
•he talks much in the ufual Cant of Bilious
Temperaments and Sanguine Complexions, of
the Sinking of Spirits, and the Heart's
'feeling cold and condensed, and heavy as
Lead, of Mifts and Confufion about his
Eyes; he promiſes, after fome previous Pre-
parations, which the Quack finds neceffary
to prolong the Diſorder, by fome powerful
Medicines, to fwell his Spirits, reflore
• them to their Strength, Elafticity, and due
Contexture, that they may fan the arterial
Cc 2
• Blood
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•
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388 HIBERNICU's's Letters:
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Blood again, and make him fo light that he
may tread upon Air. The Patient grows
worſe, fears Death, thinks on his paſt Life,
and fends for an honeſt Parfon, who inftructs
him in true Principles of Virtue, and ſhews
him wherein he has been deficient: The
ftrength of his Conſtitution overcomes both
the Drugs and the Diſeaſe, the Patient re-
covers, becomes a Man of Integrity and
'Religion, and ever after honours the boneft
"Clergy as the moſt uſeful Men in any State.
Now are thefe Effects to be afcribed to the
Quacks? Are fuch Pretenders the leſs odious?
Is Quackery the Cauſe of Religion or Virtue,
or neceffary to it? Does the Honour of the
Clergy depend upon the Practice of Quacks?
'Tis beſt in fuch Affairs to go no farther than
confufed Apothegms: Private Quackery,
Publick Virtue: Medicinal Nonfenfe, Pa-
tients Repentance: Quacks Preſcriptions,
Honours to the Clergy.
But let us in the next place examine if an
equal Confumption of Manufactures, and In-
couragement of Trade, may be without theſe
Vices. Any given Number in a ſmall time,
will certainly confume more Wine by being
Drunkards, than by being fober Men; will
confume more Manufactures by being luxu-
rious or proud (if their Pride turn upon Ex-
pences) than by being frugal and moderate.
But it may be juſtly queftioned, whether that
fame Number would not have confumed more
in their whole Lives, by being temperate and
frugal:
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 389
frugal: fince all allow that they would proba-
bly live longer, and with better Health and
Digeſtion; and Temperance makes a Country
populous, were it only by prolonging Life.
AGAIN, would there not be the fame
Conſumption of the fame Products, if inferior
People contracted their Drinking and Dreſs
within the Bounds of Temperance and Fruga-
lity, and allow'd poor Wives and Children
what might be neceffary to exhilarate and
ftrengthen them for Labour, and to defend
them from the Cold, or make their Lives
eafier? Would there be a lefs Confumption,
if thoſe of greater Wealth kept themſelves
within the bounds of Temperance; and re-
ferved the Money thus fav'd to fupply the In-
tereſt of Money lent gratis to a Friend, who
may be thereby enabled, confiftently with
Temperance, to drink as much Wine, as, had
it been added to the Quantity drunk by the
Lender, would have taken away his Senſes?
Or, if all Men drink too much, and Families
too; what if they retrenched? The Money
fav'd might improve their Drefs, Habitation,
or Studies; or might enable a poorer Friend
to confume the fame, or other Manufactures,
with equal advantage to the Publick;
might preferve the fame Perfons longer in
Life, and Health and good Circumftances,
fo as in their whole Lives to confume more.
..
or
IN general, if the fingle Luxury of the
Maſter of a Family confumes Manufactures,
might not an equal Quantity be confumed by
390 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
retrenching his own Expences, and allowing
Conveniences to his Family? If a whole Fa-
mily be luxurious in Drefs, Furniture, Equi-
page; fuppofe this retrenched, the increaſe
of Wealth to the Family may foon enable
younger Children in their Families to con-
fume among them frugally, as much as would
have been confumed luxuriouſly by the An-
ceftor; or the frugal Conſumption of fifty
Years, in the condition of a wife Gentleman,
may be as great, as the luxurious Confump-
tion of twenty Years, fucceeded by thirty
Years of Pinching, Remorfe or Beggary. If
a Man of Wealth has no Children, his own
moderate enjoyment, with what he may en-
able worthy Friends to confume in their own
Houſes, or what he may fpend temperately
at a hofpitable Table, and genteel Equipage,
may amount to as much as the ſquandering of
a luxurious Epicure, or vain Fool, upon his
own Perfon, in the fhort time his Life or For-
tune will laſt.
UNLESS therefore all Mankind are fully
provided not only with all Neceffaries, but all
innocent Conveniences and Pleaſures of Life,
it is ſtill poffible, without any Vice, by an
honeſt care of Families, Relations, or fome
worthy Perfons in Diftrefs, to make the
greateſt Conſumption. Two or three plain
Suits becoming Gentlemen, worn by younger
Brothers or Friends, will employ as many
Hands as a foppifh one worn by a vain
Heir. The fame may be faid of Furniture of
TT___S.
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 391
Houſes, Equipage, or Table. If there be
fufficient Wealth to furniſh the moſt ſumptu-
ous Dreſs, Habitation, Equipage, and Table
to the Proprietor, and diſcharge all Offices of
Humanity, after a proportionable rate, why
fhould this be called Vice? It plainly tends
to publick Good, and injures no Man. 'Tis
indeed the buſineſs of a wife Man to look
before him, and to be armed againſt thoſe Ha-
zards or Accidents which may reduce the
higheſt Fortunes: All Men fhould correct
their Imaginations, and avoid any Habit of
Body or Mind, which might be pernicious
upon a change of Fortune, or unfit them for
any Duty of Life: But this may be done.
without reducing Men to a Cynical Tub, or
Frize Coats. Wherein then the Virtue of this
Retrenchment fhould confift, or the Vice of
a more pleaſant chearful Way of Life, is not
eafy to tell; unleſs it lies in the confuſed uſe
of ambiguous Words, Temperance, and Fru-
gality, and Humility.
WHO needs be furprized that Luxury or
Pride are made neceffary to publick Good,
when even Theft and Robbery are fuppofed
by the fame Author to be fubfervient to it,
by employing Lockſmiths? Not to repeat a-
gain, that all the good Effect is plainly owing
to the Industrious, and not to the Robber ;
were there no occafion for Locks, had all
Children and Servants difcretion enough ne-
ver to go into Chambers unfeaſonably, this
would make no Diminution of Manufactures
the Money faved to the Houſe-keeper would
afford
392 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
afford either better Drefs, or other Conveni-
ences to a Family, which would equally fup-
port Artificers: Even Smiths themfelves
might have equal Employment. Unleſs all
Men be already fo well provided with all forts
of convenient Utenfils, or Furniture, that
nothing can be added, a neceſſity or conftant
usefulness of Robbers can never be pretended,
any more than the publick Advantages of Ship-
wrecks and Fires, which are not a little ad-
mired by the Author of the Fable.
>
'Tis probable indeed we fhall never fee a
wealthy State without Vice. But what then?
'Tis not impoffible: And the leſs any Nation
has of it, fo much the happier it is. Wife
Governors will force fome publick Good out
of Vices if they cannot prevent them: And
yet much greater publick Good would have
flowed from oppofite Virtues. The Excife
is now increafed by the Drunkennefs of fome
poor Maſters of Families: But ſharing their
Drink with their poor Families might make
equal Confumption of the fame kind; or if
they retrenched this Article, they might con-
fume other Kinds of Goods, paying equal
Duty to the Publick. The Perfons them-
felves would avoid many Difeafes, be more
capable of Labour, live longer, in all proba
bility, in Contentment and good Temper,
without foolish Contention, Quarrels, and
Diffatisfaction both in their Families and a-
mong their Neighbours. The like would be
the Effect of a fober and temperate Deport-
ment in better Stations.
५
AS
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 393
As to the Queſtion of Fact in this Matter:
Perhaps whoever looks into all the Ranks of
Men, will find it is but a fmall part of our
Confumptions which is owing to our Vices.
If we find too fplendid Dreſs at Court, or
at * Lucas's, or at publick Meetings for Di-
verfion ; we fhall find plain Dreffes at the
Exchange, at the Custom-House, at Churches.
The expenfive Gaiety continues but a few
Years of moſt Peoples Lives, during their
Amours, or expectation of Preferment: Nor
would a good-natur'd Man call this Gaiety
always vitious. Our Gentlemen in the Coun-
try feldom fuffer in their Fortunes by their
Drefs. The Confumption in Tables would
not be much diminiſhed, tho Men would ne-
ver run into Surfeiting and Drunkenneſs:
'Tis not one in a hundred who is frequently
guilty of theſe Vices, and yet all are every
day confuming. The extraordinary Confump-
tion of Revels occafions generally Abftinence
for fome time following; fo that in a ſober
Week as much may be confumed as in the
Week one has had a Debauch. Did we ex-
amine our own Manufactures, either Linen
or Woollen, we ſhould find that coarſe Cloths
and Stuff, the wearing of which none count
extravagant, employ ten times as many Hands
as the fine. And of the fine Cloths which
are bought, not one of the Buyers in ten can
be called extravagant. Were even this Ex-
*
The gayeft Coffee-Houſe in Dublin.
1
travagance
394 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
ኑ
travagance removed, the Confumption of the
fame Perfons during their Lives might be as
great, as by the Vanity of a few Years with
the Poverty of the Remainder.
THUS We may fee with how little reafon
Vices are either counted neceffary, or actually
fubfervient to the publick Happineſs, even in
our prefent Corruption.
I am, Sir, Tours, &c.
N°
47.
Saturday, February 19, 1722.
P. M.
TO HIBERNICUS.
Cujus velut agri fomnia, vana
Finguntur fpecies, ut nec pes nec caput uni
Reddatur forma
SIR,
M
HOR.
R. Addiſon in his fourth Whig
Examiner has given an excellent
Deſcription of a certain way of
Writing which is abfolutely Un-
anfwerable; and he has pointed
out the fecret Strength by which it is made
fo. That the Fable of the Bees is a Perfor-
mance of this kind, may be eaſily fhewn,
!
not
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 395
not by general Encomiums, but by pointing
out its particular Excellencies.
THERE is one Outwork of this fort of
Authors, which, tho it be not their main
Strength, yet is often of great conſequence
to terrify the timorous Reader, or Adverſary;
I mean open Vanity, and Pretences to the
deepeſt Knowledge. Hic murus abeneus
efto.
"
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C
How formidable muft that Writer be,
who lets us know he has obſerved fo
• much above the fhort-fighted Vulgar, and
has given himſelf Leifure to gaze upon the
Profpect of concatenated Events, and ſeen
Good fpring and pullulate from Evil as na-
turally" (fo condefcending is he to the
meaneft of his Readers) as Chickens do
from Eggs?' How does he raiſe Admiration
in the firſt Paragraph of his Preface, letting
us know that he has feen the Chief Organs
and niceſt Springs of our Machine,' which
are yet but trifling Films, and little Pipes,
not fuch grofs ftrong things as Nerves,
Bone, or Skin?' Nay, he has no doubt ſeen
† the very Strength, Elafticity, and due
• Contexture of Spirits which conſtitute the
Fear of Shame, and Anger, or Courage;'
and alſo all the other Qualities of Spirits
which conftitute the other Paffions: Thefe
Paffions along with Skin, Fleſh, and Bone,
make the Compound Man.' But this is not
C
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* P. 89.
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6
† P. 234.
396 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
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all his Knowledge; he has * Anatomiſed
the invifible part, has feen the gentle
Strokes, and flight Touches of the Paffions.'
THIS Author can † fwagger about Forti-
tude and Poverty as well as Seneca, and
• fhew the way to Summum Bonum as eaſily
as his way home. He has fearched thro'
every degree of Life; and forefees Oppo-
fition only from thoſe who have loſt Pub-
lick Spirit, and are narrow-fouled, incapa-
ble of thinking of things of uncommon
• Extent, which are noble and fublime. He
cries** Apage Vulgus to every Oppofer,
and ft writes only for the few who think
• abſtractly, and are elevated above the Vul-
gar.'
·
6
HE tells us he has pleafed Men of un-
queftionable Senfe; will always live, and
be efteemed while fuch read him.'
6
ተተ
WHO will not ſtand in awe of that Au-
thor, who ‡‡ deſcribes the Nature and Symp-
toms of Human Paffions; detects their
• Force and Diſguiſes; and traces Self-Love
in its darkeſt Recefs beyond any other
Syſtem of Ethicks?' Who, after all this,
and much more, and Egotifms, and Affecta-
tions in every Page, needs be told by the Au-
thor that his Vanity be could never conquer ?.
* P. 153. and P. 77.
† P. 162.
'
**
P. 2329
P. 163. and P. 366, 367.
†† See the Journal fubjoined to the Fable.
‡‡ P. 467,472.
ANO-
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 397
ANOTHER uſeful Secret of Invincible Au-
thors is to interfperfe a contempt of Pedan-
try and of the Clergy. Thefe damned Pe-
dants have got a trick of reading many Au-
thors, obferving the Sentiments of the greateſt
Men in all Ages; and acquire an impertinent
Facility of difcerning Nonfenfe in the Wri-
tings of your eafy genteel Authors, who are
above perplexing themfelves with the Sour-
nefs and Intricacies of Thought. Without
fome Defiances and Contempt of Pedants and
Clergy, Readers would never have fo much
as dreamed that ſome of our Authors were
witty and eafy Writers. When this Point
is obtained, then we may fall upon our Rea-
ders like Thunder, with all the little Learning
we are Maſters of, in Seafon and out of Sea-
fon: About Greek and Roman Religions,
Egyptian Worship of Onions (tho long ago
laughed at by a pedantick Clergyman in a
Brother-Eafy-Writer on Freethinking) Tro-
phys, Monuments, Arches, Military Crowns,
Alexander, Lorenzo Gratian, Hydafpes,
Oftracifms; The Laconick Spirit of our Na-
tion appearing in the Word Gin: That fiery
Lake, the Lethe, the Stygian and Circean
Cup, from whence pullulate Leucophlegma-
cies: We may talk of Stoicks, Epicureans,
Seneca's Eftate; nay, even cite Ovid, and
tranſpoſe a Paſſage in Juvenal: Si licet
Exempiis; make double Entendres upon the
word Enervate; Trabat fua quemque Vo-
luptas: a Latin Joke from Erafmus: Nay,
may
398 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
may make moſt Philofophico-Philological
Digreffions about the Effences of Hope, In-
kerns, Ice, and Oak; we may launch out
into thoſe profound Depths in Opticks, that
Air is not the Object of Sight; that Bulk di-
miniſhes by Distance, is owing to our Imper-
fection; That the Sky might appear thro' a
bole in a Wall as near as the Stones; talk of
Pythagoras's abftaining from Flesh, Efop's
making Beafts to Speak; Ira furor brevis eft ;
Lucretia killed her felf for fear of Shame.
We may improve our Language by that eafy
Phrafe, Meliorating our Condition. We may
uſe that moſt grammatical Epithet Superla-
tive; talk of Vannini, Bruno and Effendi
as Martyrs (tho fome of the Facts have
been diſproved long ago) That Homer's He-
roes talk as Porters; Lycurgus's Laws;
Epaminondas, Leotychidas, Agis, the Pole-
marchi; Saturnine Tempers, Adoration of
the Manes of the British Æfculapius; Cice-
ro's Vanity, he wrote O Fortunatam, &c. My
Friend Horace: With many other moſt pert
Evidences of immenfe tritical Erudition;
which no Mortal could have known, without
having ſpent ſeveral Years at a Latin School,
and reading Plutarch's Lives Englished by
Several Hands.
WHEN thus the Character of Erudition
is fecured, next comes Knowledge of the
World, another effential Quality of an eafy
Writer. This may be diſplayed by a word
or two of French, tho we have English
words
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 399
words exactly of the fame meaning; by
talk'ng in the ſtrain of Porters and Bauds,
about their Affairs. Then the polite Gentle-
man of fine Genius will foon appear by a
great deal of Poetical Language, mixed with
Profe. What pity it had not all been in
Rhyme, like the Fable it felf? The Author's
Slaughter-House and Gin-Shop would have
been as renowned as the Cave of the Cyclops,
or the Dwelling of Circe: Ingenium par
Materia!
THESE are but additional Helps. The
main Strength of the Impregnable Writer
confifts in intricate Contradictions, and In-
confiftencies; with fome manifeft Abfurdi-
ties boldly afferted, againſt which no Man
can produce an Argument, any more than to
prove that twice Three are not Ten. Thus
his firſt Sentence is, that All untaught Ani-
'mals defire only to pleaſe themſelves, and
'follow the bent of their Inclination, with-
out regard to the good or harm of others :"
"
C
C
But a
* few Pages after we fhall find that
Gratitude is natural, or that Men muft
'wiſh well to Benefactors: That Pity or A-
verfion to the Miſery of others is a natural
Paffion; that Affection to Offspring, and
'defire of their Happineſs, is natural: That
'Men may wish well to any other in what
they themſelves cannot obtain.'
"
C
*P. 34. and p. 68. and 140.
HIS
400 HIBERNICUS's Letters:
HIS very Definition of Vice is † Gratify
ing Appetite without regard to the Publick:'
By [without regard] we may charitably un-
derſtand him to have intended pernicious to the
Publick; unleſs he can fhew that all Men
have agreed to call eating when one is hungry,
or going to fleep when one is weary, vitious,
whenever he does not think of a Community.
Vice then here is doing detriment to the
Publick by gratifying Appetite.' But go
on, and you will find the whole. ftrain of the
Book to be, that Vices are uſeful to the Pub-
lick, and neceffary to its Happineſs: The
folid Comforts and Happineſs of Life are
the Gratifications of Appetite.'
C
·
"
C
'
HIS Definition of Virtue is * Endeavour-
ing the Benefit of others contrary to the
Impulfe of Nature.' Yet thro' the whole
Book Univerfal Virtue would be detrimental
to Society; that is, all Mens endeavouring
to benefit others would be detrimental to all :
The Moral Virtues are the Offspring of
Flattery begot upon Pride;' yet in the very
fame Page, and many other places, • No
• Paffion more natural or univerfal than Pride.'
Virtue then, which was before contrary to
the Impulſe of Nature, now is become fol-
lowing the ſtrongeſt Impulſe of Nature.
(
6
AGAIN, Virtue is the Conquest of
'Paffion out of the rational Ambition of be-
'ing good;' `but a few Pages after this,
† P. 34.
* Ibid.
P. 37. tt P. 34.
. Doing
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 401
C
Doing worthy Actions from Love of Good-
neſs has certain Signs of Pride, (which is
the ftrongest Paffion)' And yet, fays the
Author, This is a fublimer Notion of Vir-
C tue than his own.'
*HEATHEN Religion could not influence
* Men to Virtue,' fays he: The direct con-
trary is afferted by all the Heathen Philofo-
phers, Hiftorians, Orators, Tragedians and
Comedians. The wifer Men faw the Folly
of their Theological Fables, but never denied
a governing Mind: The Vulgar might believe
the Fables of Jupiter and his Brothers; but
imagining in the Gods a Right fuperior to
that of Men, they might fear the Judgment
of the Gods for like Facts to thoſe done by
Jupiter, and expect Rewards for Obedience
to Laws given to Men, which yet did not
bind Superior Natures. This Notion may make
it probable that even very corrupt Religions
may have in the whole much more good Ef-
fects than evil. But who will regard the
Teſtimonies of poor Heathens, againſt this
Obferver of concatenated Events?
6
PRESENTLY we find † The Seeds of
all Virtue in the two Paffions of Pride and
Shame, which are moſt natural.' In another
place, Virtue was contrary to the Impulfe
of Nature, and the Conqueft of the Paffi-
ons; and foon after it will become what
it was again, No Virtue in what is de-
* P. 36.
Vol. I.
‡
·
† P. 56.
P. 68. and P. 246.
Dd
• figned
402
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
C
6
figned to gratify Pride; the only recom
pence of Virtue is the pleaſure of doing
good;' but even this pleaſure of doing
good, or acting from Love of Goodnefs,
was Pride*.
P. 59. He begins his Anatomizing of
Paffions; The Paffions concealed from
• Modeſty or good Manners, are Pride, Luſt,
and Selfiſhneſs.' Either then Pride and Luft
is not ſelfiſh, but difinterested; or this divi-
fion amounts to theſe three Members, to wit,
one fort of Selfifhnefs, another fort. of
Selfiſhneſs, and Selfiſhneſs in general.'
•
<
HE afferts, that † Ambaffadors Debates
about Precedency flow from Pride con-
cealed under fhew of Virtue,' that is, of
conquering the Paffions from the Ambition
of being good. It feems they all naturally
defire to be hindmoft, but affect Precedèncy,
that they may ſeem to conquer this Paffion.
キ ​• GRATITUDE is a natural Motive of
Inclination, and not Virtue: Returns of
good Offices are not from Gratitude but
from Virtue, that is, oppofition to the im-
pulſe of Nature; or Manners, that is,
concealment of Pride, Luft, and Selfiſhneſs,
• in order to gratify them.'
**
LUXURY is the ufe of any thing
⚫ above Neceffity; nor can any other bounds
be fixed:' and yet a few Pages after, All
Men ought to dreſs ſuitably to Condition.'
* P. 43•
** P. 108. and 132.
† P. 73.
‡ P. 76.
C
*. • ENVY
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 403
C
C
* C
ENVY is a mixture of Sorrow and
'Anger. Sorrow arifes from our want of
'what we defire, and Anger is raiſed by us
for our Eafe.' (A pleafing Paffion furely!)
Anger is the Paffion arifing when our De-
fire is croffed.' Thus Envy amounts to Sor-
row for want of what we defire, compound-
ed with the Paffion arifing when Defire is
croffed. This Compofition is as artful as that
of a merry Fellow's Punch, who liked to
have it made of two Quarts of Brandy, and
one Quart of Brandy; Si licet Exemplis.
6
+ SELF-LOVE bids us look on every
• fatisfied Being as a Rival:' And yet nothing
can excite any Being to oppose another but
his being unsatisfied.
6
<
‡ 'LAUGHING at another's Fall, is either
from Envy or Malice.'
**
6
LOVE fignifies Affection, that is,
liking or withing well.' The Object's In-
tereſt becomes our own in this wonderful
manner. Self-Love makes us believe that
the Sufferings we feel muſt leſſen thoſe of
our Friend; and then a fecret Pleaſure ariſes
'from our grieving, becauſe we imagine we
are relieving him.' How ftrangely does
our Self-Love govern us! It firſt forms an
Opinion fo prodigiouſly fecret, that never any
Mortal believed it; and then makes us feel.
Pleaſure, not in relieving our felves, but ano-
ther. Nay, what is it that Self-Love cannot
*
•
*P. 140. and 221.
** P. 149.
† P. 145.
Dd 2
‡ P. 146.
per-
404 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
.
*
perform?
• When a Man ftands in the
Street, and fhrieks at another's Fall from a
high Window or Scaffold, he believes that
' he himſelf is flying thro' the Air: When
a Man bluſhes, upon feeing another do a
bafe Action, he believes he is doing it him-
felf.'
I HAVE got yet no farther than the 150th
Page, but with many Omiffions: You may
have when you pleaſe twice as many, rather
greater Beauties of the fame nature; but
theſe may fuffice at prefent. Only I cannot
paſs over two Paffages more; the one is a
wonderful Compofition, fo dearly does he love
making a very Difpenfatory of Paſſions,
that rather than want Compofition, he will
take two pieces of the fame thing for want of
different Materials: Lazineſs is an Aver-
fion to Buſineſs, generally attended with a
'Defire of being unactive.' The other Paffage
is a moſt important Maxim; That Man
• never exerts himſelf but when he is roufed
by Defire; or never exerts himſelf but
when he defires fomething or other. And he
fubjoins this fublime Simile, of a Huge
Windmill without a Breath of Air.
·
·
C
BEFORE any one pretends to anſwer this
Book, he muft know what the Author means
by good Opinion, high Value, Worth, Un-
worthiness, Merit, noble Actions, Over-
valuing, Thinking well, or having a Right
* P. 558
† P. 267%
té
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 405
to do any thing. But upon thefe Terms, all
Mortals may deſpair of it.
be true;
6
WE may make one general Obſervation
on the Dexterity of this Author in confuting
oppofite Schemes. Suppofe the Scheme of
almoſt all Moralifts, except Epicureans, to
That we have in our Nature kind
Affections in different degrees, that we have
a Moral Senfe determining us to approve
them whenever they are obferved, and all
Actions which flow from them; that we
are naturally bound together by defire of
Efteem from each other, and by Compaſſion;
⚫ and that withal we have Self-Love or defire
⚫ of private Good.' What would be the Con-
fequence of this Conftitution, or the Appear-
ances in human Nature? All Men would call
thoſe Actions virtuous, which they imagine
do tend to the Publick Good: Where Men
differ in Opinions of the natural Tendencies
of Actions, they muft differ in Approbation
or Condemnation: They will find Pleaſure
in contemplating or reflecting on their own
kind Affections and Actions: They will de-
light in the Society of the kind, good-na-
tured, and beneficent: They will be uneafy
upon ſeeing or even hearing of the Mifery of
others, and be delighted with the Happineſs
of any Perfons beloved: Men will have re-
gard to private Good as well as publick; and
when other Circumftances are equal, will pre-
fer what tends moft to private Advantage.
Now theſe are the direct and neceffary Con-
Dd
t
fequences
406 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
6
fequences of this Suppofition: And yet this
penetrating Swaggerer, who furpaſſes all
Writers of Ethicks, makes thoſe very Ap-
pearances proofs againſt the Hypothefis.
No proofs will pleafe him but the contrary
Appearances: If he faw • Men approving
what is pernicious to the Publick; or Men
agreeing to approve the fame Action, tho
one thought it ufeful to the Publick, and
another thought it pernicious; or if Men
. had no manner of pleaſure in good Actions,
or in reflecting upon them, nor would value
⚫ themſelves more for Heroifm than Villany;
then indeed he would acknowledge a moral
• Senſe independent of Intereſt and true Vir-
'tue.'
<
6
6
<
6
C
6
6
So alfo, Men muſt delight in the Com-
pany of the proud, morofe, revengeful and
quarrelfom; they muſt be indifferent in be-
holding the moſt cruel Tortures, or the
greateſt Joy and Happineſs of our Fellows,
or even of our Offspring. Men muſt do
• miſchief to themſelves, or neglect their moſt
⚫ innocent Pleaſures, and Intereft, by a tho-
row Self-denial, without any Inclination to
the good of others; and muſt have no more
pleaſure in Gratitude, Generofity, or Hu-
manity, than in Malice and Revenge;
otherwiſe this Author will never believe
any other Affection than Self-Love: At
prefent he fees all to be but Diſguiſes of it,
• from his deep Reflections about Freſh Her-
rings, and the Company he would chooſe,
.
6
It
HE
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 407.
He has probably been ftruck with fome
old Fanatick Sermon upon Self-Denial in
his Youth, and can never get it out of his
head fince. 'Tis abfolutely impoffible upon
his Scheme, that God himſelf can make a
Being naturally diſpoſed to Virtue: For Vir-
tue is Self-Denial, and acting against the
Impulfe of Nature. What elfe then can we
imagine concerning all the Works of God in
their beſt State, but
-That they were intended,
For nothing else but to be mended? Hud.
Might we poor Vulgar make conjectures con-
cerning the Spirits of Nations, we would be
apt to conclude, that thro' incapacity for
Abstract Thinking, the Baotick Spirit of the
Britiſh is much better diſcovered by a fourth
Edition of this Book, than the Laconick by
the Word Gin.
THUS may thine Enemies triumph, O
Virtue and Christianity!
I am, Sir,
Tour bumble Servant,
་
ફ્
P. M.
N° 48.
Dd 4
408 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
N° 48. Saturday, February 26, 172%.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Proprium hoc ftatuo effe virtutis, conciliare animos hoe
minum.
TULL.
SIR,
W
HOEVER has been converfant
in the World, and taken the leaft
notice of what daily paffes in it,
cannot but have obferved that all
forts of Men are extremely preju-
diced in favour of the Community of which
they are Members, and equally jealous of its
Honour as of their own. And this Principle
is feen to prevail, not only where Men have
made choice of their own Society or Profef
fion, and confequently thro' a fort of Pride are
engaged to fupport their own Election, but
exerts itſelf where the Agreement of Circum-
ſtances with any Part of Mankind, is altoge-
ther cafual and involuntary.
For this reafon all general Reflections and
Afperfions thrown upon any Body of Men,
have always been efteemed by People of .
Senfe as both unmannerly and imprudent. A
great part of the Miſunderſtandings and Con-
3
tentions
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 409
tentions among the Bulk of Mankind are ow-
ing to Indiſcretions of this fort. All your
dry Snarlers, and great Jokers, are mighty
Proficients in this Species of Wit; and are
never ſo ſmart, as when they have got a Mul-
titude under the Lafh: like great Conquerors,
eftimating their Glory by the Numbers of
Perſons they have injured.
NOR has this petulant Humour been lefs
productive of very pernicious Effects in the
more important Concerns of Life. Scanda-
lous Jefts, and ill Opinions of whole Socie-
ties, and great Bodies of Men, induſtriouſly
propagated, have been frequently the Occa-
fion of involving a State in very great Diffi-
culties and Confufion. And therefore wife
Men, however fond of having their Anta-
goniſts and Competitors run down, feldom
care to appear in fuch dirty Buſineſs them-
felves, but leave it to their Sycophants and
Underlings; well knowing that fuch Abuſes
not only provoke the Refentments of thoſe
immediately offended, but at the long run
are ill looked upon by the moderate Men of
every Party.
THE true End of Satire and Raillery is,
or ought to be, the Amendment of thoſe who
are the Objects of it. But this End can never
be anſwer'd, when we employ this Weapon in
the attack of a Community. A fingle Man
may be eaſily laughed out of a Folly in his own
Perfon, which he would fortify himſelf in,
as foon as it were made the Characteriſtick of
his
410 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
his Party. For nothing is fo apt to harden
Men in a criminal, or a foolish Practice, as
the Notion of its being favoured by that Set
of Men whoſe Intereft they have eſpouſed.
And it happens not unfrequently, that when
a whole Party are arraigned of bad Principles,
or mischievous Deſigns, they who are at-
tached to it, make good the Accufation in
pure revenge to their Adverfaries, in the
very Inftant they would have it believed to
be all Calumny and Malice.
A Man of a fincere and candid Dif
pofition, is very apt to think the beſt of
all he converſes with. And if this Difpofi-
tion be any way remarkable, the Perfons
with whom he has the most intimate Cor-
reſpondence muſt be very weak and impoli-
tick, if they do not fhew themſelves in the
moſt advantageous Light they can in all their
dealings with him. So that every Man pre-
fuming himſelf beſt acquainted with the Tem-
per and Deſigns of his own Party, we may
hence eaſily account for that Warmth with
which Men eſpouſe the Cauſe of any particu-
lar Sect, Community, or Profeffion, without
afcribing it, as ſome do, intirely to a Princi-
ple of Intereft, becauſe ſometimes it is found
to flow from that Source.
Bɛ this as it will, every Day, and almoſt
every Occurrence of Life, furnishes frefh In-
ftances of the tender regard Men have for the
Character and Reputation of whatever Bodies
they happen to be incorporated with. Sects
of
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 411
of Religion, different Profeffions of Learn-
ing, and Communities of Trade, are all e-
qually zealous for the Honour of what they
call their Common Caufe. Injuries offered to
the Society affect every Man in it, and are
often more heinouſly refented than the high-
eſt perſonal Indignity. Clergy and Laity;
Lawyers, and Phyficians; Men of Letters,
and Mechanicks; the Citizen and the Far-
mer; are all equally firm in maintaining the
Dignity, the Uſefulneſs, and the Honefty of
their refpective Functions, Profeffions, and
Employments.
WILL any Clergyman bear to hear the
whole Order accuſed, as has been done by a
few bold and impious Writers, of fpiritual
Pride, Luft of Dominion, and lording it over
God's Inheritance; even tho himſelf were
complimented in the fame breath as a Man of
the moſt Apoftolick Simplicity, Self-denial,
and Mortification? On the other hand, does
it not move the Indignation of every honeft
Layman, when the Laity are run down as
the Beaſts of the People, the profane Vulgar,
and fuch like, by the bigotted and violent
Afferters of Ecclefiaftical Power and Autho-
rity? Would he be a wife Client, who fhould
declaim to his Lawyer againſt the whole Pro-
feffion, under the Notion of their being com.
bined together to defraud Mankind? Or will
a Phyfician be pleafed, whatever Confidence
you repofe in his own Skill and Integrity, to
hear you call his Brethren a parcel of ignorant
Quacks.
412 HIBERNICUS's Letters,
Quacks, or relentleſs Ruffians, who care not
how many Patients they kill for the fake of
an Experiment? In fhort, it will be exceeding
hard, if at all poffible, to find a fingle Man,
who can patiently fuffer Reflections to be
caft on the Body to which he belongs, tho
bribed to it with the higheſt Marks of parti-
cular Efteem and Affection. Political, as
well as Natural Bodies have their Common
Senfe; which renders it impoffible to hurt
the System, without communicating fome de-
gree of Diſorder to every particular Member.
THIS Senfe of Honour and Reputation in
Communities prevails alfo in other Conditions
and Stations of Life, befides fuch as are vo-
luntary; and difcovers itſelf in Relations
where the agreeing Circumſtances are not fo
obvious, or at leaſt ſo often reflected upon,
becauſe common to far greater Numbers, Peo-
ple of the fame Country think themſelves
bound to each other by the ftrongeſt Ties;
and whoever ſhould tamely fit ftill, and hear
the whole Nation to which he belonged abu-
fed, would be accounted a very odd kind of
Fellow. Even the two Sexes, who are cer
tainly the moſt equal and comprehenſive Divi-
fion of Mankind, are found as tenacious in
point of Honour as any other. He would
make his Court but very ill to a Miſtreſs,
who, while he exalted her into the Rank of
Seraphic Beings, was perpetually talking of
the Vanity, Inconftancy, and Ill-nature of
Womankind. Domeftick Quarrels have fre-
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 413
quently had their Original in ſome pretty
Diſpute ſtarted betwixt Husband and Wife
concerning the Preheminence of the Sexes.
And in the profecution of fuch fine Debates,
'tis great odds if both Sides do not exemplify
all the Vices, from which they endeavour to
vindicate thoſe for whom they appear as
Champions. 'Tis very true, that both in
common Converſation, and Dramatick En-
tertainments, general Reflections of this fort
are frequently made in a ludicrous manner,
without giving any offence. But this does not
proceed from any want of Senfibility. Jefts
which have been much us'd, do often recoil
upon the Authors, inſtead of ſtriking the
Party against whom they were levelled. And
People now-a-days are grown cunning enough
to caft an ill-natur'd Jeft in the way of the Pe-
tulant, on purpoſe to laugh at their being
caught in it; as Mr. St. Evremond tells us
was the Practice among the Wits of France
in his time, who, when they had exhauſted
all the other Subjects of Ridicule, were at
laft obliged to fall on the Ridicule itſelf, as
the only weak Side they had left to attack.
Whenever there appears the Defign of an Af-
front, let it be given either with a ſerious or
humorous Air, thefe general Reflections are
fure to give Offence, and fometimes are at-
tended with very great and lafting Reſent-
ments.
WE may difcern the fame Spirit exerci-
fing itſelf in Affociations which are founded
neither
414 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
neither in Nature nor Intereft, but are purely
fantaſtick and whimfical. Being of the fame
Name, having been educated at the fame
School, or living in the fame Place, may
ſerve for a Foundation of Friendſhip, and
conciliate a common Efteem. I might men-
tion in this place the antient and worshipful
Society of Free Mafons, where every pri-
vate Brother thinks himſelf obliged to fup-
port the Honour, and fight the Battles of the
whole Order. But it is unneceffary to heap
up Inſtances in a Cafe, wherein every Man's
own Experience will out-run the Detail.
As often as I reflect on this amiable Diſpo-
fition in Men to confult the Honour of their
refpective Communities, and refent any In-
dignity done them, I cannot but be much
furprized to find fo little of it in an univerſal
Concern. With all the Zeal we exprefs for any
particular Party, for our Country, or any other
Society to which we ftand related, we can pati-
ently allow that great Society, our Relation to
which is the moſt honourable Diftinction we
can value ourſelves upon,to be railed at in a moſt
unmerciful manner, and repreſented in the moſt
diſagreeable Colours that Wit and Ill-nature
can poffibly invent. Whence this ſhould pro-
ceed I cannot determine; yet fure it is, that
no Man takes upon him to refent innumerable
Affronts which are every day offered to
Mankind. Several grave Divines, out of an
intemperate Zeal for the Honour of Religion,
from a miſapplication of feveral Paffages in
Scrip-
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 415
Scripture, have taken upon them to repreſent
Human Nature in fuch a manner, that if we
really believed what they fay, we ſhould
think ourſelves but little obliged to our
Creator for the Being he has beſtowed upon
us. Licentious and profane Writers, tho with
a different View, have with great Induſtry
purſued the fame Track. And thus between
theſe two, fuch a Picture has been drawn of
Mankind, as would tempt an honeft Man, if it
were in his power, to renounce the very Species.
1
WE have been reprefented as all naturally
ſelfiſh, and all the kind and benevolent Dif-
pofitions which at any time appear among us,
to be either Imbecillity, or Artifice, Every
Man we fee, we are to look upon as an E-
nemy, both to ourfelves and others. Pride
and Affectation, Hypocrify and Ill-nature are
the beſt Qualities we are to expect in the
Commerce of Life. All this we can hear
andread without appearing in the leaſt ſhock'd;
at the fame time that we ſhould reckon it the
height of Infolence to treat any particular
Body in the fame manner.
I AM confident, that were there any Spe-
cies of Brutes endued with the Faculty of
Speech, they could not load the Human Na-
ture with more opprobrious Epithets, than
has been done by fome who have had the
Honour to wear it. And no leſs fure I am,
that there would be no need of Premiums
to encourage People to hunt them out of the
World. Why then we ſhould fuffer the fame
thing
416 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
thing to be done among ourſelves, is, I con-
feſs, as great a Myſtery as any I have heard
of. Nor am I able to conjecture what end
Men can have in drawing fuch frightful Re-
preſentations of their Species. One would be
apt to think, the moſt friendly Office that
could be done the World were to reconcile
Men with one another, and allay whatever
Feuds and Animofities may be among them!
But if this is to be done by raiſing a general
Diftruft, which the Belief of all human Vir-
tues being mere Artifice and Diſguiſe at the
bottom neceffarily muft, I know no Abfurdi-
ty wild enough to compare it with. And as
diſturbing the publick Peace is in all Societies
reckoned among the greateſt of Crimes, I
cannot help thinking, that in Intereſt, as well
as Honour, all good Men ought to look on
them as common Enemies, who by propa-
gating Notions fo derogatory to Mankind, do
all that in them lies to make the World a
Scene of Diſorder and Confufion, as it muſt
be when every one in it fhould look on all
about them as fo many concealed and artful
Villains.
I am, Sir,
Your
very bumble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
N° 49.
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 417
Nº 49.
Saturday, March 5, 172.
To HIBERNICUS.
Non fatis eft pulchra effe Poemata, dulcia funto. Hor.
،
SIR,
T
HE Force and Power of this
God, fays a French Author ſpeak-
ing of Cupid, are found more,
brisk and lively in the painting of
Poetry, than in their own Effence.
• Les Forces & Valeur de ce Dieu fe trou-
• vent plus vifves et plus animées en la
• Peinture de Poefi qu'on leur propre Ef
fence? It reprefents I know not what Air
more lovely than Love it felf. Venus is not
fo alluring all naked, alive, and panting, as
fhe
appears in that Epiſode of Virgil, where
fhe prevails upon her Husband Vulcan to
forge Armour for her Son Æneas.
<
Dixerat & niveis hinc atque hinc Diva lacertis
Cunétantem amplexu molli fovet: Ille repente
Accepit folitam flammam, notufque medullas
Intravit calor, & labefacta per offa cucurrit.
Non fecus atque olim tonitru cum rupta corufco
Ignea rima micans percurrit lumine nimbos.
Vol. I.
E e
Thus
418 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Thus fpoke the Queen of Charms,
And foftly clafp'd him in her Snow-white Arms,
Irrefolute: Anon the God took fire,
And felt the fudden Tranfports of Defire;
(gan
Quick thro' his Bones the well-known Warmth be-
Its thrilling Courfe, and thro' his Marrow ran.
Quick as the Flame from Clouds erumpent flies,
And ſhoots a Flash of Fire along the Skies.
6
"
OF all our modern Poets, the Italians,
as well by the Tenderneſs of their Nature, as
the Softneſs of their Language, have the
happieſt turn for the Pathetick. Charles the
Fifth feems to have been of this Sentiment,
when he ſaid, He would chooſe to talk to
the Men in French, to his God in Spanish,
to the Ladies in Italian, and to his Horſe
• in High-Dutch: Guarini is the moſt
pa-
thetick of all the Italians. He has but one
Fault, and that in common with the Poets of
his Country, too great an Affectation of Wit.
The Swains of his Paftor Fido, who ought
to ſpeak the Language of Arcadia, flourish
in the Language of the Court. Their Points
and Antithefes fhew more of the fine Gal-
lant than faithful Shepherd. But the Italians
are full of theſe Puerilities, even in their moſt
ferious Compofitions. A remarkable Inſtance
of which, the Criticks never fail to draw
from their great Heroick Poet, Taffo, who
makes the unfortunate Lover Tancred, ap-
proaching the Tomb of his Miſtreſs Clarinda
unhappily flain, bemoan her not with Words
of Sincerity, but Turns of Conceit: As if
Sorrow
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 419
Sorrow delighted in a Play of Wit, a Jeu
d'Esprit, as the French call it; and the Lan-
guage of a ferious Paffion was not a Language
of Simplicity. There is no fear, that Lover
would die for Grief, who can be witty on his
dead Miſtreſs. Great are our Gains, fays the
Archbishop of Cambray, in lofing all fuperflu-
ous Ornaments, to confine our felves to fuch
Beauties as are of a fimple, eaſy, clear, and
negligent Appearance. In Poetry, as in
Architecture, all the neceffary Materials
fhould be turned to natural Ornaments: But
all Ornaments, which are but Ornaments, are
needlefs. Retrench them; they are not
wanted; they are things of Vanity, but not
of Ufe. An Author who has too much Wit,
and Wit upon all occafions, tires and eclipfes
ours. We ask not fo much; if he ſhowed
leſs, he would let us breathe, and pleaſe us
better. He keeps us too intent. To read
him is to ſtudy. So much Lightning dazzles
us; our feeble Eyes look out for a fofter
Light. He is the amiable Poet, who pro-
portioned to the common Underſtandings of
Men, does all for them, and nothing for
himfelf; who gives us a Sublime fo familiar,
fo fweet, fo fimple, as may tempt all Men
to believe, but fuffer few to prove themſelves
capable of it. So feemingly eafy, according
to that of Horace,
Ut fibi quivis
Speret idem, fudet multum, fruftraque laboret,
Aufus idem.
Ее
E é 2
As
420 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
As ev'ry little Bard
May fondly hope to equal, but with Pain,
Make the Attempt, and find th' Attempt in vain.
The Natural is highly preferable to the Sur-
prizing and Marvellous. The Author that
would pleaſe, fhould make us forget he is an
Author, and enter, as it were, into common
Converſation with us. He fhould place be-
fore our Eyes, a Farmer who is follicitous for
his Harveſt, or Shepherd who knows nothing
but his Flock and Village; and make us think,
not of him, or his fine Genius, but of the
Swains he introduces.
Defpectus tibi fum, nec qui fim quaris, Alexi,
Quam dives pecoris nivei, quam lactis abundans:
Mille mea Siculis errant in montibus agna;
Lac mihi non aftate novum, non frigore defit, &c.
Me, Shepherd, you deſpiſe, nor feek to know,
How rich in Herds, and Flocks as white as Snow :
Nor lack I Lambs, Sicilian Mountains rear,
Nor Milk that fails not thro' the live-long Year.
How much more graceful is the Country
Plainneſs of this Swain in Virgil, than the.
fubtle and refined turn of the moſt brilliant
Wit ?
Bur to return to Guarini. The famous
Soliloquy of Amarillis in the fourth Scene
of the third Act of his Paftor Fido, tho it
is not intirely exempt from this Affectation,
of which I fhall fay no more (having expa-
tiated already on this Subject in a former Pa-
}
per,
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 421
per,
1
wherein mention was made of the Style
of Anacreon) I fay, tho this Soliloquy is
not entirely exempt from this Vice, yet has
it enough of that true Simplicity, we find in
good Authors, to merit the higheſt Commen-
dation. They who are Judges of the Origi-
nal will readily agree to what I fay; tho they
may have fome Reaſon to diſpute it, who
judge from the Tranflation. The first of
whom will, I hope, in fome meaſure excuſe
the meanneſs of the English, when I frankly
confefs to the latter, that if they find any
things tolerable in it, they only fanfy them
ſo becauſe they have no knowledge of the
Italian. I fhall only add a word or two
by way of Argument or Introduction to it.
•
By the Laws of Arcadia, where the Scene
lies, any Maid or Wife that broke Faith with
her Lover or Husband, was, in purſuance to
the Oracle's Decree, to be facrific'd to Diana.
Amarillis and Silvio had been fome time
contracted together by their Parents, without
any mutual Affection. The Time appointed
for their Marriage was almoft come; when
Mirtillo who was in love with Amarillis,
found means (in the Scene preceding this
Soliloquy) to diſcloſe his Paffion to her.
Amarillis, tho fecretly in love with Mirtillo,
yet feeing the could not retract her plighted
Faith, refolved to keep up to the rigor of
Virtue, and receives his Profeffions with all
the feeming difdain of a merciless Beauty.
Mirtillo retires in Deſpair. But Amarillis
·
Ee 2
left
422
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
left alone breaks out into the tender and
paffionate Expoftulation which follows.
AMARILLIS.
Soul of my Soul, couldst thou but feel the Pains,
For thee Mirtillo, thee this Heart fuftains;
This Heart, nor wouldst thou then of fcorn accufe,
Nor then, that Pity thine implores, refuſe.
Ill Fate of Love! thy Heart, what boots it me?
Ill Fate of Love! What boots my Heart to thee?
Ab Fate, that does but too malicious prove,
Hearts to disjoin already join'd by Love!
Or rather Love does prove but too unkind,
To join together Hearts by Fate disjoin'd!
Happy, ye Beafts, who, free by Nature, own
In Love no Laws, but thofe of Love, alone!
While Slaves t'inhumane humane Laws we live,
And Death, in Punishment of Love, receive.
If Love a Paffion be by Nature taught,
Why against Law is Love a Paffion thought?
C
6
Nature too feeble, that wouldſt Law oppofe!
Law too fevere, that Nature would depofe!'
• But what, fond Maid? Weak are thy Lover's Charms,
• If dread of Death can fright thee from his Arms.'
Ah! would to Heav'n, that Death, Mirtillo, werę
The only Caufe of Amarillis' Fear!
No! facred Faith, who rules without Controul,
Goddess Inviolate! the well-born Soul ;
To thee, this Flame, worthy thy Pow'r Divine,
I facrifice a Victim at thy Shrine.
And you, Mirtillo, Source of all our Woe,
Frgive her Scorn, who Pity could not show:
Forgive in Looks and Words thy Foe confeft,
In Looks thy Fue, thy Lover in her Breaft.
Or if your Soul to Vengeance is inclin'd,
Worse than your Grief what Vengeance can you find,
True
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 423
True Grief in Amarillis to impart?
For if my Heart you are, my very Heart,
(And that you are, alas! too well I know,
In spite of Gods above and Men below)
My vital Blood streams from your weeping Eyes,
My vital Spirits languifh in your Sighs,
And all the Torments, all the Pangs you bear,
Mine, not your Pangs, mine, not your Torments, are.
Nº 50. Saturday, March 12, 1723.
1
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Si vis me flere, dolendum eft
Primum ipfi tibi.
SIR,
T
HOR.
HERE is no fort of Writing which
has ſo powerful and univerſal an
Influence on Mankind, as Poetry.
The Number of thoſe who are ca-
pable of following an Author thro'
a long Deduction of Reaſon, or of ſeeing the
Connection betwixt general Principles and
their Confequences, has in all Ages bore a
very ſmall proportion with the ignorant and
illiterate Multitude. But the Paffions of all
Men being alike, and for the moſt part more
ftrong and lively in thoſe who reflect and
know but little, than in the Minds of ſtudi-
E e 4
ous
424 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
ous and contemplative Perfons, whatever is
beſt calculated to work upon them, as Poetry
evidently is, cannot but have the greateſt
and moſt diffuſive Effects. Philofophical Wri-
tings, like the Plans of regular Buildings, ftrike
only fuch as are curious to know the Contri-
vance and Origin of Things, abſtracted from
their external Appearance. In Poetry, which
is the Picture of Nature, fhe is drawn to us
as in Perſpective, and makes an Appearance
fo much more beautiful, and attractive of the
Eyes of many, as the Elevation of a Build-
ing is more pleafing to the Imagination, than
the naked Draught of the Diftribution and
Proportions of its feveral Apartments. The
Human Face, when view'd in a Skeleton,
will afford neither Pleaſure nor Inftruction to
any but the ftudious in Anatomy. To make it
ftrike every Eye, it muſt have both Mufcling
and Colouring; and be lighted up with all
thoſe Smiles and Bluſhes it diſcovers in the
Life. For thefe being equally obvious to all
Men, the juft Imitation of them will have the
greateſt number of Suffrages in its favour,
both as to Exactnefs and Beauty.
THE Defign of Poetry therefore being to
work on the Paffions, we may eaſily con-
jecture what Species of Poetry it is that will
moft effectually conduce to that End; to wit,
that which gives the trueft and livelieſt Re-
preſentation of what paffes in the human Mind
on any Incident or Occurrence in Life. The
defcriptive part of Poetry, however agree-
able
铲
​HIBERNICUS's Letters.
425
able to a well-form'd Imagination, raiſes none
of thoſe wonderful Emotions, which are ftir-
red up by a Recital of thofe Actions, which
are attended with Dangers, Diftreffes and E-
ſcapes, and the various Sentiments which a-
rofe in the Mind on fuch Occafions. For one
Man who is ſtruck with the Deſcription of
the Storm in Virgil, I am confident there are
Multitudes who have wept over the unfortu-
nate Paffion of Dido, or the generous Friend-
fhip of Nifus and Euryalus. And I have
known fome great Admirers of Milton, who
have own'd they felt very little Pleaſure in
reading his Account of the Creation, or the
Battle of the Angels'; tho thofe Epiſodes are
juſtly reckoned among the moſt ſhining Parts
of the Poem, and are adorned with the moſt
fublime and beautiful Images, which perhaps
were ever laid together by any one Poet,
either antient or modern.
I THINK I have met with it fomewhere as
a Rule, that whoever endeavours to write
well upon the Subject of Love, ought to look
into his own Breaſt, and find that the Paffion
beats free and eaſy there, before he adventures
on the Enterprize. I can fee no reaſon why
this Rule fhould not be extended to all the o-
ther Paffions as well as Love. Horace, in the
Motto of my Paper, applies it in the fame
manner to Grief. If you would have me
weep, fays he, you must first shew, that
you
yourſelf are afflicted. Not that there is any
neceffity, that a Man ſhould be really in Af
2
flictior
426 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
}
fliction himſelf, before he can infpire another
with Pity; but there muſt be fuch a Tender-
nefs in his Frame, that he can with eaſe ima-
gine himſelf in the Circumftances of thofe
whofe Sorrows he relates, and make them
expreſs them in the fame manner they are
felt. And this indeed is a Faculty which can
be acquired by no Rules of Art, and which
whoever excells in, has nothing to thank for
but the Bounty of Nature. For whatever the
Logicians may boaſt of the Affiftance which
Invention may receive from the Topics, I
fanfy he would make but dull work of it,
who ſhould have recourfe to the Efficient,
the Formal, or the Final Cauſe of any Afflic-
tion, in order to fearch for proper Expreffions
of Grief, or Motives of Compaffion. His
Head, and his Heart both muſt be too full
of his Subject, to have the leaſt remembrance
of that fcholaftick Jargon, who will attempt
to ſpeak the Language of an afflicted Breaſt.
And if he be once thorowly work'd up into a
feeling of the Paffion he endeavours to de-
fcribe, neither Sentiments nor Expreffions
will be wanting, proper to make the fame Im-
preffion on the Minds of his Readers.
That celebrated Paffage in Virgil, in the
Epiſode I juſt now mentioned, wherein Nifus
calls on the Rutuli to ſpare his Euryalus, and
turn their Revenge on himfelf, is given us by
the Logicians as an Inftance of an Argument
drawn from the Efficient Caufe. But who-
ever reads it, will, I am perfuaded, be fenfi-
ble
HIBERNICU s's Letters. 427
ble, that fo tender, fo paffionate an Excla-
mation muſt have been conceived amidſt too
much Rapture, to allow the Author leiſure
to reflect on himſelf, far leſs on the abſtract
Ideas of Cauſe and Effect, during the glow-
ing Moment of its Production.
Me, me, adfum qui feci: in me convertite ferrum,
O Rutuli. Mea fraus omnis: Nihil ifte nec aufus,
Nec potuit. Cælum hoc, & confcia fydera teftor.
Tantum infelicem nimium dilexit amicum."
Me, me, he cry'd; turn all your Swords on me;
Who did the Fact, let him the Victim be.
This gentle Boy, as Heav'n my Witneſs is,
And yon fair Stars, was by no Fault of his
Engag'd thus far. Nor could, nor durft his Age
Contrive this Fraud, or a& fuch deadly Rage.
His only Crime, the naked Truth to tell,
Is loving me, his wretched Friend, too well.
•
THE Poetical Parts of the facred Writings,
as they are in many places inimitably fublime,
fo they have more of the truly Pathetick,
than is to be met with elſewhere. I believe,
there are few Perfons of a virtuous Education,
who have not felt this in the very dawning
of Reaſon, before it could be imputed to any
Biafs or Prejudice, befides pure Nature. The
Book of Job is without Controverſy one of
the tendereſt Pieces that ever ſaw the Light.
Several great Men have worthily employed
themſelves in endeavouring to make it ſpeak a
better Language than mere Profe. Yet there
is ſtill room left for others to fly at the fame
Quarry
428 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Quarry without difhonour. The following
Tranflation of a part of that Book was given
me by an ingenious young Gentleman, whom
I am proud to call my Friend, and whoſe Fa-
vour I heartily acknowledge, in allowing me
to entertain my Readers with what cannot
but be ſo much more pleaſing to them, than
any thing from their
Humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
The VIIth Chapter of JOB Paraphraſed.
H
AS- not kind Heav'n, regarding human Woe,
Set a fix'd Period to our Race below?
Known by th' Omnifcient furely is our Stay;
And we, like Hirelings, toil but by the Day.
Then when the bufy tedious Dream is o'er,
We fink in Death's cold Arms, and are no more.
And is then Death our Slumber, our Repofe?
Oh! when ſhall Death JOB's weary'd Eye-lids clofe?
As with defiring Eyes the harass'd Swain
Expects the Ev'ning fhade, to quit the Plain;
So with impatience to the Grave I bend,
And beg to fee my numerous Sorrows end.
Not more follicitous the lab'ring Hind
Is, that his Cares their Recompence may find;
Nor waits more anxious the prolific Rain,
Or promis'd Harvests in the fwelling Grain ;
Than I to fee my grim Deliverer rife,
And Death's cold Handin Mercy cloſe theſe Eyes!
For crush'd, O Lord, beneath thy mighty Arm,
*
What Balm can cure my Griefs, what Mufick charm?
TL
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 429
Thy Terrors in a thouſand ſhapes I know,
And feel the whole Variety of Woe!
WHEN will my long-protracted Sufferings ceafe,
And the poor harass'd Sufferer be at Peace?
Each ling'ring Night in Agonies Ilie;
And oft I wiſh, but wish in vain, to die.
In filent Grief I lengthen out the Night,
Then curfe the Shade, and watch the dawning Light.
The dawning Light returns but not to me;
And all, but I, its kindly Aſpect fee.
To JOB no friendly Seafons e'er return ;
Nor gives the Ev'ning Eafe, or Joy the Morn :
Grief fills his Soul, and Pain, and gloomy Care,
Amazement, wild Affright, and black Defpair.
Oh! hold at length thy Hand, and leave me free!
For what is Job, o GOD, to ftrive with thee?
Vile Matter is my Subftance, Duft, and Clay;
All cover'd too with Sores more vile than they.
Swifter than Thought, my fleeting Moments pafs;
Confum'd I wither as the fading Grass.
My tranfient Being like the paſſing Wind,
Blows off unfeen, nor leaves a Trace behind.
Short as it is, why is it then oppreft,
Curs'd by the Hand, that once had made it bleft?
Oh, clofe the Scene- and let my Sorrows ceaſe ;
Diffolve the Chain, and frown me into Peace.
EACH Ev'ning yields the Sun to fable Night;
But e'ry Morn returns again as bright.
Within Earth's Lap the yearly Seed is thrown ;
And Nature's bounteous Hand repays the Loan:
But Man within the Grave for Ages lies;
Till Nature's Death permitted not to riſe;
Till then forbid the faintest glimpſe of Day,
Or reafcend the long-forgotten Way;
No more indulg'd to ſee the chearful Light,,
Or Sweet Viciffitudes of Day and Night.
His Mem❜ry too fhall die, and in the Grave,
In length of Time, its thin Exiſtence leave.
Here
་
430 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
>
Here look, vain Men, and human Greatness fee;
Duft once ye were, and Duft again muſt be.
OH! why should tortur'd JOB his Sighs reftrain?
Or thus oppreft, how should he not complain?
Allow him proftrate then to ask his God,
Why thus thou break'ſt this animated Clod?
Why watchest thou my Steps, feverely just;
And while I bend me groaning in the Dust,
Forbid'st me one fhort interval of Rest ?
And emptiest all thy Quiver in my Breast ?
In vain for Rest I to my Couch repair,
And hope in Sleep to diſſipate my Care.
For there in awful Vifions I behold
My Terrors heighten'd, and my Hopes controul'd.
How can I then this wretched Life fuftain,
When Sleep, Death's Image, but augments my Pain?
O FT when alone, and in the Evening Shade,
I call on Death, but call in vain for Aid.
For thou unmov'd, ftill lengthneft out my Pains ;
And while thy Wrath torments, thy Pow'r fuftains.
Oh! finish Lord, the vast unequal Strife,
And I to buy my Peace will quit my Life.
What did I Say of Life?That galling Chain!
By thee afflicted, what is Life but Pain?
I would not live
nor bear the dreadful Load:
I fink, I faint beneath thy chaft'ning Rod.
Oh! ceafe to urge what Nature cannot bear ;
Nor fill me thus with Anguish and Defpair.
Withdraw thy cruel all-fupporting Pow'r ;
And lo! I perifh in that gracious Hour·
THEN humbly in thy fight I lay me down;
At once thy Justice, and my Crimes I own.
To thee for Mercy and Relief I come ;
Oh! take this Rebel, fince repenting, home.
Oh! let thy Pity kill, and fet me free;
And give me in Deftruction Rest to fee:
So all the Voice of my complaining ceafe,
And my last Breath fhall bless thee for my Peace.
No 51.
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 431
N° 51.
Saturday, March 19, 1722.
To HIBERNICUS.
Poft mediam noctem vifus, cum fomnia vera. HORAT.
SIR,
T
HE honour you did a Friend of
mine, fome time ago, by publiſh-
ing his Dream, has encouraged
me to fend you the following one;
which, I hope, will not diſpleaſe,
tho it is full of Irregularities and Incoheren-
ces; becauſe you cannot but be fenfible, that
thoſe Imperfections are natural to fuch Pro-
ductions.
I THOUGHT I Was in a little pleaſant Iſland
near the famous Utopia, which nearly reſem-
bled the latter in Beauty and Fertility. The
Hills abounded with Flocks and Herds, the
Valleys were watered by numberless Rivulets,
and every Field would have afforded an agree-
able Scene of Plenty, had it not been that a
certain violent fort of Trade-Wind blew a-
way the Fruits off the Trees, and the Ears
off the Corn, to the neighbouring Iſland;
leaving little more behind than naked Branches
and uſeleſs Stubble. I asked a Shepherd who
ſtood
+
•
A
432 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
ftood near me, whether the Country was
fubject to that Hurricane; to which he an-
fwered, That it generally blew the whole
Year round from the fame Point, fo that we
could expect but few returns of that nature
from our lucky Neighbours.
;
As foon as I had parted with him, I walk-
ed on, mufing on the odd Fate of the Iſland
and in the middle of my Meditations, I found
myſelf at the foot of an Eminence, on the
top of which fat a Woman with an Aſpect of
Majefty, mixed with an Air of Diſtreſs, and
a Crown on her Head, ftripped of moſt of
its Jewels; which made me think that fhe
wore it more for its Antiquity, than for its
intrinfick Value: In her Hands fhe held an
Harp, ftrung in Bafe with Gold, and in Tre-
ble with Silver Wires, which made fuch a
melodious found, whenever the could tune it
to a middle pitch, (which I found fhe did
with great difficulty) that all the dejected
Swains, who were within hearing, reſumed
an Air of Joy; and with chearful Looks fil-
led their Arms with the Gleanings of the
Hurricane. All the Trees by a kind of Ma-
gick Virtue began to fhoot out new Fruits,
almoſt as faſt as the Wind could blow them
away; and the whole Plain echo'd with the
Flutes of the Rufticks, who kept time to the
Lady's fuperior Inftrument.
WHILE I was taken up with this agreeable
Entertainment, a fudden Accident happen'd
which alarmed the whole Country, and
damp'd
2
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 433
damp'd all our Mirth. A Monster in the
fhape of an Evil Genius, roſe under the
Lady's Feet, and violently fnatch'd at her
Strings; at the fame time offering with an
Air of malicious Contempt and Merriment, a
large Knot of Brazen Wire in exchange for
hers.
Ar this the Lady fwooned away, and the
whole Plain was filled with fuch a general
Confternation, that few had the Power to
come to her Affiftance, except one Remark-
able Swain, more courageous than the reft,
who with a Paper Cornet founded an Alarm
with ſo much Strength and Judgment, that
it reached the Ears of JUPITER, who
(as we were told) was at that time very lucki-
ly come down to Utopia; and in an Inſtant,
we faw Apollo, followed by a Train of the
Muſes, flying towards us, by the Order of
his great Superior, to inquire into the Caufe
of our Diftrefs.
As ſoon as he had examined the Affair, he
fpurn'd the Monſter from him, flung away his
trifling Wire with diſdain, and kindly raiſed
the Lady's drooping Head; who having
foon recovered from her fainting Fit, rofe up
with joyful Refpect to falute her Deliverer.
WHILE I was wholly employed in admi-
ration of his Beauty, Humanity, and Elo-
quence, I obferved that, as he was apprehen-
five of the ill Effects which might enfue from
the late Hurry on her Spirits, with an Art
peculiar to that engaging God, he took an
Vol. I.
Ff
oppor
434 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
opportunity of feeling her Pulfe in the midſt
of his Careffes; and having diſcovered feve-
ral fickly Symptoms in her Conſtitution,
which the had long neglected, he acquainted
her with them, and applied his unerring Skill
to cure her moſt hidden Diftempers.
WHEN this was done, he walked thro' us
with a familiar Air to take a view of the
Plain, difpenfing his Favours and Smiles a-
mong the Swains, and efpecially thoſe who he
was informed had the greateſt Skill in his fa-
vourite Art of Mufick. In fhort, the whole
Iſland was fo infpired by his Prefence, that
it ſeemed inchanted: The moſt ignorant
Shepherds endeavoured to pleaſe him with
their ruftick Airs; and, as I thought in my
Dream, even I, who have no mufical Talent,
took ſmall Flute, and attempted to join
up a
in the univerfal Concert.
But alas! Sleeping or waking, how fleet-
ing and tranfient are our Joys! In the middle
of all our Happineſs, a wing'd Meffenger arriv'd
from Utopia, and declared that Apollo muft
return. Jove impatient of his Abfence, could
not relifh the Pleafures of that charming
Place: all the Gods fat around him in mourn-
ful Silence, and intimated by their dejected
Looks, that Heaven itſelf would ceaſe to be
the feat of Blifs, as long as they wanted the
God of Wit.
UNHAPPY Ifland! doom'd to certain Mi-
feries, but uncertain Pleaſures. In one mo-
ment all our Mufick turn'd into paffionate
..Com-
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 435
Complaints; and I expected every moment
to ſee the Lady fwoon away a fecond time
for concern of the God's Departure, when on
a fudden I ſaw him rife up in the Air, and
expreſs himſelf in this tender manner to the
whole Affembly.
my
WEEP not, my beloved Swains, at my
Departure: Jove's high Commands I muſt,
and always fhall obey with Pleaſure; but in
Abfence I will take care to make you
feel the Effects of my reaching Influence.
You ſhall never want my good Offices in
the Court above; and the celeftial Monarch,
apprized by me of your Piety, will, I doubt
not, fhower numberlefs Bleffings on my
• favourite Ifle.'
6
WHILE I was intent on this mixt Scene
of Joy and Sorrow, I found myſelf ſtartled
from the Dream, by one of thofe vociferous
Animals, commonly called News-Boys, who
in a very hoarfe and difagreeable Voice was
bawling
Lord CARTERET's
Speech to both Houfes of Parliament.
I am, Sir, yours, &c.
O. O.
S I R,
TO HIBERNICUS.
IS with great concern I obferve that
T we of this Nation are running much
into Rhyme: I fear it portends more
Ff
Poverty
436 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Poverty to our Ifle, and could heartily with
there were a ſtop put to it..
IN a Country where the moſt folid parts
of Learning are of fo little uſe to the Natives,
what can we hope from the Flowers and Or-
naments of it?
I HAVE often reflected, whence it arifes,
that when you fay, Such a one is a Poet,
'tis ten to one but fomebody in the Company
fubjoins, Is he poor? And I am fometimes
tempted to think that the Love of Poetry is
beſtowed by Heaven upon exalted Minds, as
a Recompence for the want of that Fortune,
which they would have been but too happy
in the difpofal of to the Purpoſes of Bounty
and Beneficence; that the Affliction a gene-
rous Mind labours under at feeing fo many
Objects of Pity, which it is incapable of re-
lieving, might be mitigated by the Pleaſures
of Poetry..
Bur a Friend of mine, of excellent diſcern-
ment, often tells me my Notions in this Af-
fair are fantaſtical; and the reaſon why Poets
are generally poor, is becauſe it requires fuch
exalted Sentiments to be capable of excelling
in that way, as puts Men above the tower
Arts of Life, which they are too apt to de-
fpife as unworthy their Care; tho 'tis but
too notorious, that they are almoſt abſolutely
neceſſary in every condition to the making a
Fortune.
ANOTHER Reaſon he affigns for it, is the
little regard Men of this Character are ob-
ferved
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 437
ferved to have for each other; that tho no
Perfons living are more heinously offended
than they are, if their real or imaginary Me-
rit does not meet with the Efteem they ex-
pect, yet there is no Set of People lefs inclin-
ed to do juftice to each other's Characters than
they are, or lefs follicitous for each other's
Welfare; and that the known Obfervation of
Beauties generally holds good here alſo, they
imagine every Excellence attributed to an-
other, is fo much taken from themſelves.
THIS IConfeſs is a powerful Charge againſt
them, and if true, an over-ballance to the
Merit of exalted Sentiments, by which they
would juſtly be placed above the Bulk of
Mankind, were they not brought by this
Principle to be upon a level with the mean-
eft of them: and this Vice is doubtless more
criminal in them than in any other Set of Men,
becauſe Poetry naturally gives the Mind a
ftrong propenfity to Benevolence and Genero-
fity; and therefore, if their Souls are truly
Poetical, they must put a force upon their
Nature, either to act ungenerously, or even
coldly, with regard to the Intereſts of each
other.
But here methinks I am interrupted by
fome Critick, who cries, If it be really true,
that Poetry has a natural tendency to enlarge
the Mind, why fhould you with there were a
ftop put to the Growth of it?
THIS Objection I own is juft, fince every
thing which tends to the encouragement of
F f 3
Polite
438 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Politeness, Benevolence and Humanity in a
Nation, ought to be cheriſh'd; and therefore
I beg leave to anſwer, That my intention in
this Paper, is not to root out theſe generous
Seeds from the Breafts of my Countrymen,
but to tranſplant them into their proper Soil.
For this reafon I would recommend the ſtudy
of Poetry to Perfons of Quality and Condi-
tion, who have Fortunes to anſwer thoſe
Sentiments of Generofity it never fails to in-
fpire: This would raiſe them a new and a no-
bler Pleaſure from their Affluence; would in-
ſpire all thofe Sentiments of Humanity which
make Men feel the Anguiſh of the miſerable
Part of their Species; and of confequence
ftrongly urge them to relieve their Diftrefs ;
a Pleaſure more exalted, more exquiſite than
all their Grandure can beſtow.
LET thofe who have experienc'd this refin'd
Happineſs, reflect how wretched they muſt
have been, if they had admitted theſe gene-
rous Sentiments into their Breafts, without a
Fortune anſwerable to them; and they will
foon be convinc'd why Poetry fhould be the
Amuſement of the Rich and Powerful; fince
it only ferves to make others miferable (when
they fee Objects they are not capable of re-
lieving) without being of the leaft fervice to
thoſe they commiferate. 'Twas doubtlefs a
Diftrels of this kind, which occafioned the
following Verfes.
Eternal
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 439
Eternal King! Is there one Hour
To make me greatly blefs'd,
When I shall have it in my pow'r
To fuccour the diftrefs'd?
In vain alas! my Heart o'erflows
With ufelefs Tenderness;
Why must I feel another's Woes,
And cannot make them lefs?
Yet I this Forture muft endure,
'Tis not referv'd for me,
To ease the fighing of the Poor,
And fet the Pris'ner free.
1
I am, Sir, yours, &c,
N°
52.
'Saturday, March 26, 1726.
To HIBERNICUS.
Bella geri placuit, nullos habitura Triumphos? LUCAN.
SIR,
W
HENEVER we feek to know
Mens real Characters and Difpo-
fitions, we muft obferve their
Behaviour and Humours in their
Diverfions and Amuſements, ra-
ther than in the more folemn and important
For in Buſineſs we endea-
Affairs of Life.
Ff
4
vour
440 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
vour to conduct our felves by Skill and
Art, put on a great many Difguifes in order
to accomplish our Ends, and fubmit our felves
not only to the generally eſtabliſhed Cuftoms
of the World, but even to the particular
Humours of thofe with whom we are in
Negotiation. Here our good Succefs depends
upon wife Conduct and Management, the
principal Part whereof lies in accommodating
our felves to the different Circumftances of
Times, Places and Perfons; and making our
Pleaſure and Inclinations ftoop to fome greater
Advantage, or at leaſt what we apprehend to
be fo,
IN our Diverfions, having no other End
in view but to indulge our Nature, we are
entirely governed by its Impulfes. Here it
is we give our Inclinations their full loofe,
and confult no other Advantage, than to
croud all the Pleaſure we can into the prefent
Moment. Theſe are our unguarded Seaſons,
in which we lay our felves open to the Ob-
fervation of every one who has Curiofity
enough to pry into our Conduct. And who-
ever would draw a true Picture of us, muft
rake us when we are in a difengaged negli-
gent Pofture, and not when we put on that
ftudious Face, and regular Manner, with
which every wife Man chooſes to appear in
publick.
FOR thefe Reaſons I have always been
very fond of mingling my felf in the Diver-
fions of other People, not fo much from any
Pleaſure
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 441
Pleaſure I take my felf in the greater part of
what the World calls Amuſements, as from
a fecret inexpreffible Delight I have in feeing
every body about me look well pleaſed.
This Delight is greater or lefs, as what creates
the Pleaſure of a Croud of People is inno-
cent or hurtful. Yet ftill in a great many
Diverfions which I do not altogether approve,
it is worth obferving how People are affected
by them; and therefore, tho I like a good
Tragedy much better than a Bull-baiting, yet
I as feldom decline going to the one as the
other, and am always as ready to accompany
the Rabble to a Show, as to make one at an
Entertainment fitted for People of the moſt
nice and delicate Taſte.
THE Scene of vulgar Merriment which I
have been longeft in becoming acquainted
with, is the Cock-pit. I was firft introduced
there by a Friend, a few weeks ago. Re-
membring what kind of People they uſed to
be who crouded to that Diverfion, when I
was a School-boy, I expected only to be re-
galed with a few of the Humours of Low-
Life, and fo reckoned upon nothing more
than to get the worth of my Shilling in good
laughing. But how agreeably did I find my
felf miſtaken, when upon my Entrance into
the Place, I met a good many Faces which I
remembred to have feen peeping from under
full-bottom'd Periwigs at Lucas's, and found
fome of the beft Company in Town moſt
elegantly mixed with the Plebeian Sons of
Clemous
442 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Clamour and Nonfenfe? And how greatly
was I edified to obferve, that in a Contro-
verfy to be managed by Brutes, ſeveral
grave Gentlemen, learned in the Laws and
Statutes of this Realm, were fitting by, and
concurring in this notable Way of joining
Iffue? Nor was my Satisfaction a little
heightned by the Prefence of two or three
Reverend Gowns and Caffocks, which gave
me encouragement to hope, that our Enter-
tainment was agreeable to the Canon as well
as the Common Law.
I WILL not trouble you with a Defcrip-
tion of the feveral Engagements between the
little ſprightly Combatants. The poor Crea-
tures indeed difplay'd a Courage and Dexterity
very much to be admired, and gave me fre-
quent occafions of wifhing, that thoſe who
took fo much delight in the Sport, might be-
have themſelves with equal Fortitude, when
called to it, in the Service of their Country,
or of Mankind. If they had come thither
only with a View to raife fuch a Spirit in
themſelves, by the Example of Brutes, I
fhould have had fome good hopes of them.
But alas! the great Gains which I found fome
of the Gentlemen were to receive from the
good Succefs of their Poultry, gave me quite
different thoughts of the Matter. To fet a
Pair of innocent Animals a fighting, purely
to determine whether their Maſters ſhould be
a hundred Guineas or two the richer, I muſt
own feemed a fign of as little Courage as Wif-
dom;
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 443
dom; fince if Fighting be a fair way of gaining
Money, it certainly is more confiftent with
true Valour to do it in Perfon, than by Proxy.
Perhaps the Gentlemen who get Money by
the Squabbles and Contentions of human Crea-
tures, think it reaſonable to uſe the fame
Liberty with ſuch as are of an inferior kind.
And herein I fo far agree with them, that I
heartily wiſh the Diffenfions among Mankind
were few enough to allow them all the Op-
portunities they can defire of enjoying the
dear and polite Entertainments of a Cock-pit.
It would require the Skill of a good Pain-
ter to expreſs the alternate Emotions of Hope
and Fear, Joy and Diſappointment, which
appeared in the Countenances of the Bettors
at every Encounter of a Brace of their fea-
thered Champions. In one minute the Life
of a Cock fhould be given over for loft, who
the next would have twenty Guineas ven-
tured on his Head. And a good Fowl has in
the beginning been thought by his Owner
'as
great a Treaſure as a South-Sea Subſcrip-
tion, and turned in the latter end to pretty
much the fame account. Never did Coffee-
Houfe Politician watch more narrowly the
Events of a Campaign in Flanders, than you
might behold thefe Gentlemen for the Fate
of their respective Duellifts. And the deci-
five Blow was fure to be accompanied with
as many Applauſes, as if the poor Creature
who gave it were equally fenfible of the
Honours
444 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Honours they did him, as of the Pain they
put him to in acquiring them.
But whoever would enjoy this Diverfion
in its utmoſt Perfection, muft have a fight of
it when there is what they call a Battle-
Royal. It feems that the Gentlemen, Lovers
of Cock-fighting, have heard, or read, that a
General Battle among Men is a very terrible
Piece of Work; and fo they are refolved to
have a Sight of ſomething which may reſem-
ble it, with as little danger to themſelves as
they can. For this purpoſe nine, eleven, or
any other odd Number of Cocks are turned
out into the Pit all at once; and fo to it
they go Helter-Skelter, till all but one of the
Creatures, of greater Strength and Courage
than the reft, (whom for the fake of the
Gentlemen in the Ring I fhall chufe to call
the Umpire) be either driven out of the
Field, or left dead upon it, to the unspeakable
Pleaſure and Satisfaction of the furrounding
Spectators. This, I can affure you, Sir, is
looked upon by feveral Perfons of great Judg-
ment and Taſte, to be the very Top of all
the Recreations in Town. And for ought I
know, there may be a deal of good Morality
in it; fince this fame Battle-Royal appeared
to me to be a very proper Emblem, of a fac-
tious State, where, you know, the Vulgar
Partizans muft hack and hew one another
at an unmerciful rate, for the Benefit or Di-
verſion of their Superiors, and get nothing
themfelves but dry Blows by the bargain.
IT
H
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 445
It were almoſt a Sin to talk gravely on
this Subject, were it not that indulging a
trifling Humour of this fort is capable of pro-
ducing very ſerious Evils. To be exceffively
fond of any kind of Diverſions, is certainly
an Argument of a very weak, or very uneafy
Mind. The Buſineſs of Life muft doubtlefs
appear very odious to a Man who makes the
purſuit of Pleaſure his only bufinefs; and
whoever does fo, forfeits all claim to the
Efteem or Good-will of Mankind, being no
more than an Incumbrance. and Burden to
the Species. But to gratify an idle Difpofi-
tion, and eaſe our felves of fuperfluous Time,
by Methods which tend to ſuppreſs the work-
ings of Humanity and Compaffion in our
breafts, and to make us infenfible of the Pains
of others, is fomething fo unmanly, that it
ought to be branded with fome publick Mark
of Infamy. He who can take delight to fee
a Couple of poor Animals deſtroy one ano-
ther, is in a fair way to carry on the Jeft a
little farther; and by the time he has ſeen his
Poultry exterminated, may take it in his head
to have the like Game play'd among his Ser-
vants: At leaſt there is nothing to hinder
him, but his Fear of incurring the Penalty of
the Law. And if fuch Men are People of In-
fluence and Station in Life, it is great odds,
if over and above the Injury done the Pub-
lick in fquandering away fo much Time,
which might be uſefully employed in fome
publick Service, they do not bring with them
the
•
446 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
the fame wantonneſs of Diſpoſition into the
moſt important Affairs, and become as fond
of fpiriting up Animofities in Courts and
Senates, as in the Bear-Garden, or a Cock-pit.
THIS Reflection makes it no lefs fhock-
ing than ſtrange, to fee Gentlemen of Di-
ftinction and Fortune fo befotted with a fenfe-
lefs and barbarous Amuſement. What then
muſt we think of thoſe who can prefer ſeeing
Bloodſhed and Battery among Brutes, to their
Attendance on a liberal and honourable Pro-
feffion, calculated for preferving the Peace
and good Order of Mankind? I must own,
there appears to me the fame Reaſon for dif
miffing fuch Perfons from the Bar, that there
is for our Law excluding Butchers the Jury-
Box. For the Reverend Clergy who can take
pleaſure in fuch Sights, I will not take upon
me to cenfure them, but leave it to themſelves
to confider, whether their Prefence at fuch
Affemblies can be a proper Means of pre-
ferving the Reverence due to their Order.
AGAINST what I have faid, I know of
but one Objection which deferves to be con-
fidered. Why may we not, fay fome, as
well be prefent at Spectacles of this kind, as
at Tragical Reprefentations on the Stage,
which are commonly allowed to be of great
uſe to inſpire Men with Sentiments of Gene-
rofity, Pity, and Kindneſs? There is a very
wide difference in the two Cafes. On the
Stage the Diſtreſs is not real, but fictitious.
Whatever Pains we feel are foon alleviated
bv
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 447
by reflecting, that after all there is no harm
done. Befides, we do take no pleaſure in
beholding the Sufferings of the Perfons brought
upon the Stage, as we muft do in order to
enjoy the Diverſion of two Creatures fighting.
For tho we may pretend, that it is only the
furprizing Courage they exert which gives us
the Delight, yet fince that Courage is moſt
ſhewn when they feel the greateſt Pain, it
will be hard for us to feparate the Pleaſure of
the one from the other. Be this as it will, it
is certain, that to accuftom ourſelves much
to behold Spectacles of Cruelty and Horror,
will by degrees weaken that tender Senfe of
the Miſeries of others, which is fo ne-
ceffary for ſpurring us on to good and
generous Actions. And for this reaſon the
French and fome other Nations have been of
opinion, that even in Dramatick Perfor-
mances there ought to be nothing bloody re-
prefented, but fuch things ought to be done
behind the Scenes, and left to the Imagination
of the Audience to ſuppoſe.
SOME of your critical Readers, who have
been lying on the catch all this while, will, I
imagine, begin to think they have got me at
an advantage, and be ready to ask me,
How is all this confiftent with my own Cha-
racter, who have reprefented my ſelf as one
fo very fond of joining in an Entertainment I
fo much condemn? My Anfwer is very fhort.
If none were to ſpeak againſt any Practice
but thoſe who never had been guilty of it
them
448 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
+
themſelves, Mankind would have very few
Inftructers. Befides, I do not go to fuch
Sights, becauſe of any Delight I take in them,
but only to laugh at the Follies, and lament
the Misfortune of fuch of my Fellow-Mortals
as can find no other Method of diverting
their uneafy Thoughts than by fuch poor and
contemptible Devices. If this will not fatisfy,
they muſt be contented with my telling them,
that I do not care for entring the Lifts with
People of their Stamp, or engaging in a Con-
teft, which, like thofe occafioned by this
Paper, can be attended with none of the
Honours of Victory.
I am, Sir, yours, &c.
DEMOPHILUS.
No 53
Saturday, April 2, 1726.
To HIBERNICUS.
Neminem verentur, imitantur neminem, atque ipfi fibi
PLIN.
exempla funt.
SIR,
Y
OU cannot but have obferved
how much the Town has of late
been peſtered with bad Poetry.
All our Garretteers feem at pre-
fent to be in motion. The Verfi-
fying Humour has appeared in its utmoſt Ma
lignity.
HIBERNICUs's Letters, 449
Malignity. And the Prefs groans, in a
literal fenfe, under the Weight of Nonfenfe
and Scurrility, which it has every day for
ſome time paft been in travail of.
I ASSURE you, it has been no fmall fur
prize to me and others of your conftant Rea-
ders, that you have never taken this Matter
into confideration. While the Amanuenfes
of the Mob behaved with humility, and
contented themfelves with producing their
Lucubrations under the modeft Title of Gar-
lands, Proper New Ballads, and the like,
there was no fuch neceffity of taking them
to task. Their Compofures were uſually
printed on a Paper and Letter fuitable to their
Quality, and never prefumed at any Typo-
graphical Decorations, unleſs upon the Death
of fome eminent Perion, when they afpired
to the Honour of being called ELEGIES;
and then they only appeared in a plain Black
Margin, fet off with a Death's Head, Me-
mento Mori, and a few other Enfigns of
Mortality. By this means the Beau Monde
were fecure in their Ignorance, and could as
eaſily diſtinguiſh betwixt a Poem and a Bal-
lad, as any other People. But now all Di-
ftinctions are laid afide; and the Operators
of the Upper Regions tranfmit their Works
to us, in the exact Form and Similitude of
Verfes, and with the very Word POEM, in
Capital Letters, in the Front of them; under
which Diſguiſe they have obtained admittance
to Tea-Tables, and Coffee-Houfes, and as
Vol. I.
G S
fuch
450 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
fuch have been repeated to the Ladies in a
Theatrical Tone, by feveral of our politeft
young Gentlemen, who have given us the
moſt unquestionable Proofs of their Elegance,
by wearing of Stays, and plaiftering their
Periwigs with Pomatum.
WHETHER or no this new Generation
of Verfificators have got a Mill, or any
other proper Engine for the more expeditious
working of Jingle, I have not yet been able
with any certainty to diſcover; but one
would be apt to imagine they had fome fuch
Contrivance, from the prodigious Quantities
of Rhyme they have thrown out within
theſe few months. Add to this, that their
Compofitions appear fo much of a-piece, and
are fo exactly like each other, that we can
fcarce conceive them to be produced any
other way than by mere bodily Labour, as
other Manufactures are, and not by the ex-
erciſe of Invention, or any of the intellectual
Faculties.
THIS however is a Grievance I could be
contented to fit peaceably under, if it reſted
here. Nonfenfe either in Verfe, or Profe, is
of it felf an Evil which cannot be exceed-
ingly detrimental either to Church or State.
But I hate to fee even our Nonſenſe abuſed,
or employed to any other than its original
Purpoſe, the Amuſement of the Mob. At
prefent nothing can be more perverted from
its primitive Inftitution. Inſtead of applying
it felf to the Paffions of narrative Mrs. Abi-
gail,
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 45%
gail, an amorous Milk-Maid, or a Country-
Bumpkin, it is now become an Engine of
Envy and Ill Nature, and fpends its little
Malice in befpattering fome of the beſt and
worthieft Characters among us.
IT is but a few days fince we have ſeen
a Reverend Prelate of the Church publickly
abufed in this manner. Perhaps it may be
below the Juſtice of the Nation to puniſh
fuch Enormities, as I am fure it is beneath
the injured Gentleman to refent them; but
I can hardly think this ought to exempt them
from your Obfervation, fince the chief Ufe
I know of fuch a Publick Paper as you are
engaged in, is to fet fuch Practices in their
true Light, and render them, what to all Men
of Senſe and Virtue they muſt be, odious and
contemptible.
BESIDES this Gentleman, there is another,
who, tho not placed in fuch an eminent Sta-
tion, holds too confiderable a Rank among
Mankind for fuch Treatment, who has re-
ceived more Indignities among us than ever
were offered a Perfon of his Worth in any
civilized Nation. Every Week has given him
a freſh Specimen of our great Civility and
good Manners, and our felves wonderful
reaſon to applaud our own Wiſdom and Dif
cretion in fuffering a Stranger, and fo good
a Judge of Mankind, to form an Idea of the
Spirit of our Nation from the Performances
he has been entertained with fince he came
into it.
G g 2
ONE
452 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
ONE would expect, that this Gentleman,
being a Poet himſelf, in the genuine and
honourable Acceptation of that Word, was
entitled to kinder Uſage from thoſe who
pre.
tend to the fame Character. But as the true
Spirit of Poetry is always accompanied with
Sentiments of Honour and Virtue; fo I have
commonly found, that according to the Falſe-
neſs of any Man's Pretences to that, there
will be a proportionable Deficiency in thefe;
and therefore I am not furprized to find an ill
Poet attacking a very good one. This is no
more than what is ufual in all other Pro-
feffions and Arts as well as this. Let no
body however imagine I defign the Parallel
fhould hold in the Cafe of thoſe who have
had the hardineſs to infult a Biſhop.
ABOVE an Age ago, when the Inhabi-
tants of this Country were very rude and
uncivilized, the immortal Spenfer lived
peaceably among them, and found leifure to
invoke the Mufe. By him our Fields were
first made Poetick Ground, and our Rivers
taught to glide in harmonious Numbers, whoſe
Charms will not be forgotten while the Peo-
ple of Britain retain their Language. We,
the Succeffors of that unpolifhed Race, pre-
tend to have refined our Taſte, and intro-
duced the true Elegance of Life and Manners.
But we have reafon to bluſh, when we make
the Compariſon, and reflect on the Uſage we
have given to Spenfer's only legitimate Son
and Succeffor. Pofterity, no doubt, will think
it
1
HIBERNICUs's Letters.
453
it an excellent Proof of our Politeness, that
we have fo many Scriblers in arms againſt
the Author of the Diftreffed Mother. And to
heighten our Character, and fhew how zea-
lous we have been in the Cauſe of Liberty
and Virtue, and how highly we rated Learn-
ing and good Senfe, there is another Circum-
ftance exceedingly proper for that purpoſe;
and we ought not to omit, that the fame
Gentleman wrote the Free-Thinker.
I AM fenfible, that fome People may al-
ledge from the Uſefulneſs of Criticiſm in Poe-
try, and of the Ridicule as a proper Inftrument
of it, that fome of the Pieces I have been
pointing out are juſtifiable on that account,
being only innocent Raillery on ſome Perfor-
mances which thofe Gentlemen apprehend to
be very faulty and unpoetical. This is but
a poor Excufe for downright Ribaldry and
Ill-nature. Where theſe take place, it is
utterly impoffible we ſhould meet with either
juſt Criticiſm, or genteel Raillery. Whenever
there appears Prejudice againſt the Man, the
Judgment paffed on him as a Writer is little to
be depended on. I could name the Man,
who, when unbiaffed, muſt be allowed one
of the moſt authentick Judges of good Wri-
ting now living, who has yet been mifled by
a Prejudice againſt the Author, to pafs his
Cenfure on one of the fineſt and tendereft
Pieces of Poetry I have feen in English, as
no better than infipid Profe in Rhyme. And
fuch Men are capable of forming unjuſt
Gø 2
Opi
454 •
HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Opinions of the Works of their Cotempora-
ries, what Criticiſm, what Juftice are we to
expect from thoſe who cannot hinder Spite
and Ill-manners from burſting out in every
Line they write; who confine themſelves
within no bounds either of Decency or Dif-
cretion, but are their own Originals, and
will, I hope, have as few to imitate them, as
they have had to copy from?
If it be true, what is faid, that feveral of
theſe wretched Libels are not of our own
Growth, but have been fent to us from over
the Water, it may ferve indeed to fhew,
that there are other People as bad as ourſelves,
but can never juſtify our Crime in encourag-
ing, or even looking with Indifference on a
Practice not only ungenerous, but barbarous.
I ſhould be glad for the Honour of our Coun-
try, that few of them were brought to light
in it; but at the fame time think it equally
blame-worthy to cherish fuch monftrous Pro-
ductions when brought forth, as it is to give
them Birth at first.
WHATEVER ill Confequences may refult
to the Publick from the prodigious Swarms
of Poets who have at prefent nestled them-
ſelves in this City; a certain Friend of mine
is in good hopes the thing may be of particu-
lar Advantage to himfelf; and receives great
Comfort on this occafion from the old Pro-
yerb, 'Tis an ill Wind blows no body good.
It ſeems he has a part of his Houſe which
has been a long time unferviceable to hims
at
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 455
but he is of Opinion, that, as things now
ſtand, he may readily find a Tenant for it.
He has therefore drawn up the following Ad-
vertiſement for that end, and begs you would
infert it in the Journal.
A
I am, Sir,
Your conftant Reader,
and bumble Servant,
Advertiſement.
T. D.
T the upper End of Lazar's Hill there
is a neat convenient Apartment to be
Let, very proper for a young POET. It
is ready furnished with a Palat Bed, two
Chairs, a little Cupboard for Books, a large
Fragment of Looking Glafs, and a Hanging-
Shelf, which may serve instead of a Writing-
Desk. The Way to it is by three Pair of
Stairs, and one Ladder of very eafy Afcent,
and the Entrance well defended with a
Trap-Door. It receives the Light almost
Horizontally by means of two very conve-
nient Sky-Lights, which have the Benefit of
Sliding-Shutters against Rainy Weather, or
the time of Full Moon; the Roof being alfo
low enough to prevent Mischief to any Man
who is full Five Foot in Height. There is
alfo a Čoal-hole near the Bed, very useful
to retire into in cafe of any fudden Surprize
from Bailifs, &c. Whoever is difpofed to
456 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
take the faid Apartment, may have it up
on reaſonable Conditions, hiring it either
by the Week or the Seafon. Inquire at any
of the Sculls belonging to Trinity College,
and you may know farther, Directions
having been given them for that Purpofe.
N.B. Clean Straw will be duly provided
once a Fortnight at least, or oftner, if there
Should be any preffing Occafion.
N°
54. Saturday, April 9, 1726.
To the AUTHOR of the Dublin Journal.
Jam pridem equidem nos vera rerum vocabula ami-
fimus.
SALLUST.
SIR,
I
1
T is an Amuſement agreeable e-
nough to reflect on the ftrange and
unaccountable Mutations which
happen in Languages in the com-
paſs of a few Years; and how
Words by long Ufe may be worn away from
their original Meaning, and brought to excite
very different Ideas, and fometimes directly
oppofite to thoſe they were firſt appointed to
ftand for,
ชุ
૬૦
HIBERNICUs's Letters. 457
No part of Diſcourſe preſents us with more
frequent Inftances of this than all our Words
of Ceremony and Compliment, which have
run thro' fuch a Variety of Significations,
that it is now much to be queftioned whether
they have any precife one left at all. Our
Civility has been wound up to fo high a
pitch, that it has crack'd with the Strain gi-
ven it. And the Expreffions of Reſpect and
Affection have, like the Coin in Arbitrary
Governments, been fo extravagantly raiſed,
that no wife Man will take them in payment
but at confiderable Diſcount. They bear in-
deed the Stamp and Image of Kindneſs, but
they want both in Weight and Goodnefs, to
be depended on in the Commerce of Life;
and for that reafon no body ſeems covetous of
fuch Riches, but as faft as they come in, we
laviſh them away on the firft Man we meet.
IN the more early and unpoliſhed Ages of
the World Men were not fo apt to be deceiv.
ed with Appearances as they are now. The
Forms of Refpect, and Titles of Honour
wère very few and very modeft; but then
they bore a determinate Meaning, and paffed
for no more than their real Worth. No Man
took it amiſs to be faluted by his own Name,
or thought the worſe of his Neighhour for
choofing rather to call himſelf his Friend,
than his Humble Servant. As the real
Worth of a Man is nothing elſe, but his Price,
or the Rate at which he is eſtimated by others,
fo the Evidence of that Price, which is called
Honoura
3
458 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
Honour, ought to be proportioned to it. And
therefore we fhall always find, that among
the Antients their higheſt Titles of Honour
were Names of Offices, and Relations in
Life, and not mere fanciful Sounds, which are
either incapable of Definition, or elſe lofe all
their Luftre and Dignity as foon as they are
traced up to their original Signification.
THE Title Baron, which our Saxon An-
ceſtors tranfmitted to us, fignified no more at
firft, as Mr. Selden informs us, than a great
Man, being derived from the Word Ber or
Bir, which ſtood for the fame among them,
that Vir did among the Romans. With us it
is applied very differently; and bating the
Senfe it has in Law, I very much doubt, if
we affix any Idea to it at all when we uſe it
as a Diſtinction of Honour. The ſame might
be fhewn of thofe Titles which are worn
by all the other Ranks of Nobility among
us; and ſerves to inform us, that the Senfe
which our Anceſtors had of Honour was
diftinguiſhing every Man by the Relation he
had to the Society, or the particular Employ-
ment in which he officiated. Whereas we,
in common Speech at leaſt, making uſe of the
fame Terms without any meaning, pay only a
kind of imaginary Homage to great Men,
which however is the greater and the more
awful, as they are lefs knowing who pay it;
Ignorance being in more refpects than one the
Mother of Devotion.
LAM
HIBERNICUS'S Letters. 459
I AM much of opinion, that our having
thus loft the first meaning of honourable
Names and Appellations, and making them
the Signs of a blind and ignorant Reverence,
has, over and above the abfurdity there is in
it, been productive of very ill Effects on
Mens Minds and Manners, both in the higher
and inferior Stations of Life. They who
have Titles, and do not know, or reflect on
the Foundation of fuch Diftinctions, are ex-
ceeding apt to grow haughty, infolent and
untractable; to look upon all below them
with Contempt and Averfion; to regard them
as a lower and worthless Rank of Beings; and
to treat them as if there were no common
Tye or Relation between them. On the o-
ther hand, this Ignorance from whence Titles
and Honours have their Rife, has a tendency
to make the inferior part of Mankind over-
rate thoſe things, and think too bafely and
ſervilely of themſelves; by which means
they will be hindered from exerting whatever
degree of Virtue they may poffefs, and diſcou-
raged from many generous and laudable Un-
dertakings which they might otherwiſe be ca-
pable of. And how far a Concurrence of two
fuch Humours might probably operate in the
Ruin of a State or People, may be eaſily
conceived. But thofe Effects can very feldom,
if at all, happen, where Men have got juſt
Notions of great Names and Titles, and are
made to know, that the Way to the Temple
of Honour has in all Ages been underſtood to
he
460 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
་
be thro' the Temple of Virtue. The Senfe
hereof muſt greatly contribute to make Men
brave and refolute, and inſpire all Ranks of
People with an honeft Emulation to manly
and virtuous Actions. It is therefore of uſe
to awaken that Senſe in us pretty frequently,
in order to prevent the fatal Confequences
which might enfue on a total Extinction
of it.
THAT there fhould be Degrees of Honour
among Men, is, no doubt, not only conve-
nient, but neceffary. Without them hardly
any Society could fubfift; and the moſt ef-
fectual Way to ruin a People would be to de-
ftroy all Orders and Diſtinctions among Men.
The happy Conſtitution we live under, gives
convincing Proofs of the Wiſdom and Excel-
lency of fuch Inftitutions. Our Nobility have
not only on all occafions been the great Sup-
porters of the Honour and Dignity of the
Crown, but fhewn themfelves in many re-
markable Inſtances among the forwardeſt and
braveſt Defenders of the Liberties of the Peo.
ple. To leffen therefore the due Refpect
which ought to be paid them, would be an
Attempt unjuſt and criminal. But an Endea-
vour to point out the Original of thoſe bo-
nourable Titles they poffefs, and to rectify
miſtaken Notions of Honour, can never be
liable to that Cenfure. It will not diminiſh
our Reverence of Greatnefs, to fix the Mean-
ing of thoſe Forms made ufe of in addreffing
it, and thereby prevent an exceffive and adu
latory
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 461
latory Way of approaching it. For as in
Reafoning, an Argument which proves too
much, proves nothing; fo it will be found,
that in addreſſing the Great, there is always
the leaſt true Refpect, where Men uſe the
moft ceremonious Behaviour, and abject Sub-
miffions and theſe for the moſt
;
part have
their Rife in certain confufed Notions and
awful Impreffions, which the Sound of Words
ill underſtood, makes on the Minds of Men
who have more Imagination than Diſcern-
ment.
How falfly Men are apt to judge of this
Matter, will appear from this fingle Obferva-
tion, which we may make every day in our
Lives; That we have laid afide thoſe Names
of Refpect and Kindneſs, which expreſs our
real Senfe, and have ſubſtituted others in the
place of them, which we fondly imagine to
be more Reverential, but which in reality
have no fettled Meaning at all. It is reckoned
a great Indecency and Solecifm in good Breed-
ing, to falute our Friends by thofe Names.
which expreſs any natural Relation or Alli-
ance, as if we thought the Ties of Nature no
fufficient Bond of Eſteem and Affection. The
endearing Appellations of Husband and Wife,
of Brother and Sifter, are loft and funk in the
more polite and faſhionable Titles of Sir, and
Madam. We are fonder of appearing exceed-
ing courteous and civil, than fincerely kind.
and tender-hearted. The Converſation of a
well-bred Family is juft in the fame Tune
with
462 HIBERNICUS's Letters:
with that of a mixed Company which never
faw one another. And by this means, when
Kinsfolks are a Degree or two removed, they
grow perfectly indifferent to each other, and
come to forget all mutual Regards, as much as
the mereſt Strangers that pafs in the Streets.
THESE Ceremonies and diftant Forms of
ſpeaking appear ſtill more ridiculous, when
they are kept up betwixt Parents and Chil-
dren. I hate the Cuſtom (fays Montaigne, in
his egotizing way) to forbid Children the use
of the Parental Name, and to teach them an
exotick Title, as fignificant of greater Reve-
rence; as if Nature had not fufficiently pro-
vided for the fupport of our Authority. We
call GOD Almighty Father, and difdain
that our Children ſhould call us fo. I have
reformed this Abufe in my Family. And in-
deed fo exquifitely tender is the Affection of
Parents towards their Offspring, and fo great
the Obligations on that account lying upon
Children to love and honour them, that one
can hardly conceive a more expreffive Term
of Refpect, than that which denotes the Re-
lation itſelf, and calls up fo many amiable
Ideas in the Mind at once. Henry IV. of
France was fo fenfible hereof, that he did not
think it unbecoming his Greatneſs to follow
Montaigne's Example in this very Particular.
It is true, that antiently the word SIR fig-
nified the fame thing with Father; but it is
plain we uſe it in a quite different fenſe now,
by the Preference we give it over the other :
how
HIBERNICUS's Letters. 463
how justly let thofe judge, who have ever felt
the Fondneſs of a Father to a Son, or found
their Hearts glowing with filial Piety and
Gratitude to a Father.
We may ridicule a Fondneſs for Pedegrees
and Genealogies, and the fooliſh Vanity fome
People have of reckoning up a vaſt number of
Relations, and tracing Kindred to the remo-
teſt Degrees, with a great deal of Juſtice. This
has been frequently carried to a very fantaſti-
cal Extravagance, and it requires but a mo-
derate portion of Senfe, to fee the folly of it.
But this is no good Reaſon for flying to the
other Extreme, and falling in with a Method
which in time may render us cold and negli-
gent in thoſe Relations of Life, which require
the exerciſe of our warmeſt Affections. When
People treat their near Relations with Ceremo-
ny and Diſtance, they will be apt to decline
cultivating Society with each other. And this
may iffue in a total Eftrangement, and make
the next Generation forget, that ever any
fuch Alliance fubfifted. I have often thought,
that the numerous Advertiſements we meet
with in our publick Papers, inquiring after
Perfons long abfent, and acquainting them
with Poffeffions being fallen to them, have
been owing to Caules of this Nature. At
leaſt it ſeems a very probable way of account-
ing for many of them. So that Intereft, as
well as Nature, may inſtruct us not to contemn
the uſe of thoſe friendly Denominations which
arife
464 HIBERNICUS's Letters.
arife from Proximity of Blood, or other Fa
mily Dependencies.
HUMANITY, I grant, requires us not to
confine our Benevolence within the Circle of
our own Houfhold, but to extend our Care
and Concern to the whole Race of Mankind.
This however is no Argument for treating
all Men alike. Nor is there any great dan-
ger that our univerfal Benevolence fhould be
impaired by the Love we bear our neareſt
Friends. On the contrary, there is a good
deal of Reaſon to fufpect, that whoever fails
in the one reſpect, will hardly be very emi-
nent in the other. And therefore fince there
are certain Sounds appointed to fignify precife-
ly our natural Duties and Relations, and to
beſpeak a higher and more perfect Eſteem and
Affection, it ſeems a pretty uncouth way of
Proceeding, to exchange them for a Form of
Addrefs which we uſe without diftinction to
all we converſe with, and at the ſame time to
pretend, that we do fo in order to pay them
the greater Compliment. At this rate the
greateſt Honour we can do Men, is to avoid,
às much as poffible, letting them know that
we love them.
Iam, Sir,
Your very humble Servant,
HIBERNICUS.
1
'
The End of the First Volume.
V
INDEX
TO THE
Firſt Volume.
A
A Ffections, a Ballance of them recommended
-when ill applied, they cant't make us happy
Page 11
12, 13
Social, natural to all Men
neceffary to Happineſs
not all of the felfifh Kind
-the Confinement of them a Defect
5。
52
109
113
Partial, the Sorrows attending them
a Definition of them
224
375
Air. Building Catles there recommended
28, 29, &c.
Anacreon. An Account of his Works
60
A Character of his Poems from Cowley
62
A Tranflation of one of his Odes
64
His Allegories compar'd to Net-work Napkins 67
Appetites, the first Motives to Action
Arbitrary Power, its Advocates anſwered
36
186
Ariftides, the Hiftory of his Baniſhment
210
Aurelia, an antiquated Toaft, a Copy of Verſes on her 181
B
Bacon, my Lord. In what Beauty confifts, according to
Ballads, want Reformation
him.
-Political, criticiz'd
Amorous, their bad Effects
transformed to Satyrs
Beautifying Fluid, a new one recommended
Beauty, why efteemed
falfe Pretenders to it
23
124
134
135
45%
25
21
20
Beauty,
INDE X.--
Beauty, in what it confifts
-there is fome Standard of it in Nature
Contemplation of Natural Beauty a great Part 2
of our Happineſs
-a true Taſte of it neceffary
Beauty, Moral, how we an affected by it.
-wherein our Enjoyment of it confifts
of Humane Life, wherein it confiſts
Bees, the Fable of, criticiz'd
Benevolence, its Effects upon the Mind
-a great Source of Happineſs
40
42
} 43
44
47
47
50
370 to 407
108
110
224
-tho' not without its Pains
Boghouse, Meditations on it, a Pamphlet fo call'd, cenfur'd 73
Burnet's Hiftory, an Encomium on it
C
Carteret, Lord, a Complaint againſt him
Caftle-building, recommended
All Mankind Caſtle-builders
A Copy of Verfes in Praife of Caftle-
building
Cenfure doth not reform the Guilty
Chaplain, his Complaint of the gloomy Diſpoſition of 2
Chardin, Sir John's Travels, a Saying of a Perfian Phi-
his Patron
lofopher there
Chearfulneſs not inconfiftent with Religion
Cock-fighting, a Criticiſm on it
190
211
28
35
-}
158
259
272
294
272
57
44I
408
410
}
417
198
199
287, &c.
440
414
283
431
360
362
452
Eachard's
Chryfoftom. We owe Ariftophanes to him
Communities, Satires on them dangerous
jealous of their Honour
Cupid, his Power greater in Poetry than in its own?
Effence
Curiofity, its Ufe to Mankind
it ought to be employ'd to uſeful Purpoſes
Diverfions, our real Characters beft obferved in them
D
Detraction, Reaſons againſt it
Divines, fome defame human Nature
on an Iſland near to Utopia
Dreſs, a Differtation on it
Dream, on the Conduct of Players
the Hiftory of it in Britain
Diftrefs'd Mother, an Encomium on the Author of it
IN D E. X.
Eachard's Hiftory cenfured
E
Earth. The Picture of human Life drawn by the
Author of the Theory of the Earth, criticiz'd
Eclogue, a City one
Education, the Advantages of a good one
refines and multiplies Pleaſures
Eloquence, why efteem'd
Evils, their Origin moftly from ourſelves
F
Fame, the Advantages attending it
Fing, the Art of, a Pamphlet fo call'd
Fontenelle's Wish
3IS
162
194
235
234
· 12
10
288
7
281
}
183.
121, &c.
France, all the Advantages of its Situation, &c. can-7
not make its Inhabitants happy under Arbitrary
Government
Freakifbnefs, the ordinary Occafions of it
Greek Poets, how loft
G
35.
-What Writers fubftituted in their Places, 55.
Gregory the Great, burnt the Palatine Library.
Guarini, his Paftor Fido criticiz'd
his Soliloqui of Amarillis tranflated
Happiness, what it is
in what it confifts
H
•
depends chiefly on making wife Elections
why not perfect in this World
Hardiknute, an old Ballad fo call'd
57.
418.
4.22
38
39, 40, &c.,
22X
129
31
35.
78
300
} 116
Hiftorians, ancient, more candid than the modern
Flobbes, his Definition of Revenge,
1
A Criticifin on his Definition of Laughter
Holland, why rich
Honour, Titles of, have loft their Original Signification 457.
Human Nature, many Things in it which cannot be
bez
reduced to any Syftem
I
Innocent VIII. his Decretal Epiftle concerning the 267-
Succubi & incubi
Infenfibility, Happineſs. doth not confift in it
Instincts, furer Guides than fine-fpan Reafonings
Intelligence and Reafon, how diſtinguiſhed
Feb, Chap. vii. paraphras'd
T
Joy The Difference betwixt Pleaſure and Joy
taly, the Mifery of its Inhabitants
216
205
343
428
40
18
I. N D E X
1.
Ireland, to what its Misfortunes are owing
why an Honour to be born there
the wearing of its Manufactures recommended
to the Iriſh
Fudicial Aftrology, its Rife
K
Knowledge, Errors to be avoided in our Purſuit of it.
what Kind of it moſt uſeful
L
Ladies, a new Method of preferving their Charms
-why indulged in Love of Monkeys
Laughter, Ariftotle's Account of it
Hobbes's Account of it refuted
-doth not arife from an imagin'd Superiority
in the Laugher
the true Cauſe of it
I
259
297
249
199
345
24
320
77
78
79
90
T} 96
the Effects of it, and why implanted in our 2
Nature
Leo X. his Account of the Lofs of the Greek Poets
Letter, from Perdomifos to the Author on falſe Tafte
from Philomeides on Laughter
55
69
77 to 108
-An Account of ſeveral Letters ſent to the Au-2
thor, which he has not thought fit to publish S
from Demophilos on publick Shews
-from T. B. on Delays in Love
from N. N. on Ariftides and L. C--rteret
-from A. M. on Education
154
169
177
209
233
from B. R. on the Effects of reading Tacitus, &c. 237
from Theophilus on the Study of the Scripture
+
241
-from N. Ñ. on the Title of his Paper
261
from Academicusion fair Witches
265
-from Timothy Scarf on Chearfulneſs no Enemy 2
to Religion
Enemy?
272.
from N. N. on the Stage
281
Letters from Hezekiah Doubtful, A. E. Philothéus,
and Chiron, why not publiſhed
322
-from N. N. on the various Reception of this
Paper
325
-from Publicola on Retirement'
333
from Mufopbilos on Poetry
353
from P. M. on the Fable of the Bees
370 to 407
from 0. 0 on an Iſland near to Utopia,
431 ~
from Demophilos on Cock-fighting,
439
from F. Don Ballad-makers turn'd Satirifts
448
Life
13
INDEX
Life, Human, reprefented in too contemptible a 162, 8cc.
Manner by fome Writers
-a vicious Contempt of it cenfur'd
22
6
164
}
Liberty, the Refemblance of publick and private
Lock, what are the Objects of our Knowledge ac-2
cording to him
London, Books approved of becauſe printed there
Love, the Source of Happineſs
-how degenerated
Luxury, what
M
Malebranche, his Reflection on Laughter occafioned by
the ſmaller Misfortunes of others
Mayor. A Criticiſm on the Lord Mayor's Show
Men, why difhoneft
Microſcopical Philofophers cenfur'd
177
139
3t8 3
178
383
by}
106
Montaigne laments the Lofs of the ancient Writers
againſt ceremonious Titles by Children to
their Parents
Morality, the prefent Writers of it criticis'd
Nature, its Intention in beftowing Beauty, &c.
Newgate, its Biographers encouraged
I7-1
51
206
57
462
-79, 2001
22/
JI.
Old People, their Converfation, when agreeable
25.
P
Paffions, what
Phillis and Amintas, a Fragment of an old Ballad
Philofophy. Triflers in Natural Philofophy and Mathe-
maticks ridicul'd
Pitcarn, Dr. a Jeft of his
Pleaſure, the greateſt, where to be found
Poets, why more fuccefsful in painting what ftrikes the 2
Senfes, than in repreſenting the Emotions of Love S
why poor
-why they fhould be rich
Lodgings fit for one advertiſed---
371
130
203
Sr
374
112,
436.
438
455
126
128
}}
148
Poetry, its Rife, and how employed by the Ancients
by whom corrupted
Poets, unjustly alledge the Tafte of the Age in Excufe
for not cultivating Sacred Poetry
What Qualities a Poet ought to have
Simplicity in Poetry recommended
its Influence on Mankind
353-
419.
423
Poetry,
INDEX
-what Species of it works moſt on the Paffions
Points in Writing unknown to the Ancients
Politicks, when a proper Subject for a Weekly Paper
Poplicola Valerius, an eminent Inftance of Mens Ine-
quality in their Conduct
Pope, his Imitation of Virgil and Gallus
Pride, what
Pfalm CIV. tranſlated in Imitation of Milton
CXXXIX. tranflated
Puffendorff had ftrongly imbib'd Hobbes's Principles,
tho' he draws better Confequences from them
Pun, how it produces Laughter
R
Reafon, our beft Affections wants its Directions
Reflection of a virtuous Mind on its own Actions, a
great Spring of Happineſs
This Happiness not unfocial or intereſted
?
424
6I
4
118
68
383
150
357
78
9Q
L
197
"}
217
217
Religion mifreprefented by Men of melancholy Tempers 160
Retirement, the Advantages of it
338
Ridicule, a Senſe of it, why implanted in our Nature 96, &c.
when improper
-the Ufe of it
-the Danger of it
-Rules to avoid the Abuſe of it
ridicul'd
S
Stripture, the Study of it recommended
Self-Approbation connected with Social Love -
Shakespear, his Deſcription of the Effects of the hu-
man Figure
Shows, publick, their Ufe
Society, abfolutely neceffary to Happiness
-why Men court it
Solitude, how a good Man enjoys it
-Encomiums on it cenfur'd
to whom to be allowed
who not fit to enjoy it
Stage, Plato's Regulations of it
State Anatomy uſeful
Stoicks, their Notion of Happiness examined
Strength, why efteemed
Study mifapply'd, Inſtances of it
រ
100
IOI
104
104.
413
241
219.
49
74
1
·47, 48
54
219
335
1
337
}
340
286
188
214
!
21
t
J
345
350-
185
Temple,
fhould not be the whole Employment of Life
Switzerland, its Inhabitants happy, and why
*
INDE X
F
↓
T
Temple, Sir William, what Trade beneficial, accord-
ing to him
Trade, Foreign, advantageous to the Publick notwith-
ftanding the Inconveniencies attending it
V
30€
378
Vices, Private, Publick Benefits, a Book ſo call'd,? 30
-Five Senſes in which that Title may be underſtood 370
This Author's Vanity
-his Erudition
his Contradictions
-his Dexterity in confuting oppofite Schemes
Virtue makes the Perfon poffefs'd of it beautiful
mifrepreſented by over-zealous Votaries
cannot make us compleatly happy, and yet not to
be abandonned
395
397
399
405
26
161
10} 230
-Brutus's Complaint of it explained
231
-doth not extinguish our Appetites
375
-doth not deprive us of any Pleafure which in not?
attended with prepellent Mifery
not}
377
-wherein it confifts
-doth not hurt Trade or Manufactures
381
388
Unfavoury Writers, who fo called
72
W
Wiſdom and Virtue, why our chiefeft Good
Witches, a Treatife of the Biſhop of Down and Con-
nor concerning them recommended
ancient Hypothefis concerning them preferable
to the modern
An Amendment of the Law againſt them pro-
pos'd
Wonderful Wonder of Wonders, a Pamphlet fo call'd
cenfur'd
World, the Way to become Maſters of it
true Contempt of it, what
-falfe Contempt of it
222
252
254
271
72
45
140
14, &c.
} 333
-why People differ about the Value of its En-7
joyments
FINIS.
300 - Fable of the Bees
het
190 Philip of Comines pres
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