us a difh of Spartan broth, but I was not able to get down a second spoonful.

The two gentlemen, who conducted me to the ifland, were preffed by their private affairs to return in three days, which I employed in feeing fome of the modern dead, who had made the greatest figure for two or three hundred years paft in our own and other countries of Europe; and having been always a great admirer of old illuftrious families, I defired the governour would call up a do zen or two of kings, with their ancestors in order for eight or nine generations. But my disappointment was grievous and unexpected. For, instead of a long train with royal diadems, I faw in one family two fidlers, three fpruce courtiers, and an Italian pelate. In another, a barber, an abbot, and two cardinals. I have too great a veneration for crowned heads to dwell any longer on fo nice a fubject. But as to counts, marquifes, dukes, earls, and the like, I was not fo fcrupulous. And, I confefs, it was not without fome pleasure, that I found myfelf able to trace the particular features, by which certain families are diftinguifhed up to their originals. I could plainly difcover from whence one family derives a long chin, why a fecond hath abounded with knaves for two generations, and fools for two more; why a third happened to be crack-brained, and a fourth to be fharpers; whence it came, what Polydore Virgil fays of a certain great houfe, Nec vir fortis, nec fæmina cafta; how cruelty, falfhood, and cowardice, grew to be characteristics, by which certain families are distinguished as much as by their r coats of who firft brought the pox into a noble house, which hath lineally defcended in fcrophulous tu mours to their pofterity. Neither could I wonder at all this, when I faw fuch an interruption of lineages by pages, lacqueys, valets, coachmen, gamefters, fidlers, players, captains, and pick.pockets.

arms;

I was chiefly difgufted with modern hiftory. For having ftrictly examined all the perfons of greatest name in the courts of princes for an hundred years paft, I found how the world had been mifled by proftitute writers to afcribe the greateft exploits in war to cowards, the wifeft counfel to fools, fincerity to flatterers, Roman virtue to betrayers of their country, piety to atheists, chaftity to Sodomites, truth to informers: how many innocent and excellent perfons had been condemned to death or banishment by the practifing of great minifters upon the corruption of judges, and the malice of factions: how many villains had been exalted to the highest places of truft, power, dignity, and profit: how great a fhare in the motions and events of courts, councils, and fenates, might be challenged by bawds, whores, pimps, parafites, and buffoons: how low an opinion I had of human wifdom and integrity, when I was truly informed of the fprings and motives of great enterprizes and revolutions in the world, and of the contemptible accidents to which they owed their fuccefs.

Here I discovered the roguery and ignorance of thofe, who pretend to write anecdotes, or fecret hiftory; who fend fo many kings to their graves with a cup of poifon; will repeat the difcourfe between a prince and chief minister, where no witnefs was by; unlock the thoughts and cabinets of ambaffadors and fecretaries of ftate; and have the perpetual misfortune to be mistaken. Here I difcovered the true caufes of many great events that have furprised the world; how a whore can govern the back-ftairs, the back-stairs a council, and the council a fenate. A general confeffed in my prefence, that he got a victory purely by the force of cowardice and ill-conduct and an admiral, that, for want of proper intelligence, he beat the enemy, to whom he intended to betray the fleet. Three kings protefted to me, that, in their whole reigns, they

never did once prefer any perfon of merit, unless by mistake, or treachery of fome minister in whom they confided: neither would they do it if they were to live again; and they fhewed, with great ftrength of reason, that the royal throne could not be fupported without corruption, becaufe that po. fitive, confident, reftive temper, which virtue infufed into a man, was a perpetual clog to public bufinefs.

A

I had the curiofity to inquire in a particular manner, by what method great numbers had procured to themselves high titles of honour and prodigious eftates; and I confined my enquiry to a very modern period, however without grating upon present times, because I would be fure to give no offence even to foreigners; for I hope the reader need not to be told, that I do not in the leaft intend my own country in what I fay upon this occafion. great number of perfons concerned were called up, and upon a very flight examination difcovered fuch a fcene of infamy, that I cannot reflect upon it without fome ferioufnels. Perjury, oppreffion, fubornation, fraud, pandarifm, and the like infirmities, were amongst the most excufable arts they had to mention; and for thefe I gave, as it was reafonable, great allowance. But when fome confeffed they owed their greatnefs and wealth to fodomy, or inceft; others to the proftituting of their own wives and daughters; others to the betraying their country or their prince; fome to poisoning, more to the perverting of juftice in order to deftroy the innocent; I hope I may be pardoned, if thefe dif coveries inclined me a little to abate of that profound veneration, which I am naturally apt to pay to perfons of high rank, who ought to be treated with the utmost respect due to their fublime dignity by us their inferiors.

I had often read of fome great fervices done to princes and states, and defired to fee the perfons by VOL. V.

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whom

whom thofe fervices were performed. Upon enquiry I was told, that their names were to be found on no record, except a few of them, whom history hath reprefented as the vileft rogues and traitors. As to the reft, I had never once heard of them. They all appeared with dejected looks, and in the meanest habit, most of them telling me they died in poverty and difgrace, and the rest on a fcaffold or a gibbet.

Among others there was one perfon, whose case appeared a little fingular. He had a youth about eighteen years old ftanding by his fide. He told me he had for many years been commander of a fhip; and in the fea-fight at Actium had the good fortune to break through the enemy's great line of battle, fink three of their capital fhips, and take a fourth, which was the fole caufe of Anthony's flight, and of the victory that enfued; that the youth ftanding by him, his only fon, was killed in the action. He added, that upon the confidence of fome merit, the war being at an end, he went to Rome, and follicited at the court of Auguftus to be preferred to a greater fhip, whofe commander had been killed; but, without any regard to his pretenfions, it was given to a boy, who had never feen the fea, the fon of Libertina, who waited on one of the Emperor's miftreffes. Returning back to his own veffel, he was charged with neglect of duty, and the thip given to a favourite page of Publicola, the vice-admiral; whereupon he retired to a poor farm at a great diftance from Rome, and there ended his life. I was fo curious to know the truth of this story, that 1 defired Agrippa might be called, who was admiral in that fight. He appeared, and confirmed the whole account, but with much more advantage to the captain, whofe modefty had extenuated or concealed a great part of his merit.

I was furprised to find corruption grown fo high and fo quick in that empire, by the force of luxu

гу

ry fo lately introduced, which made me lefs wonder at many parallel cafes in other countries, where vices of all kinds have reigned fo much longer, and where the whole praife, as well as pillage, hath been ingroffed by the chief commander, who perhaps had the leaft title to either.

As every perfon called up made exactly the fame appearance he had done in the world, it gave me melancholy reflexions to obferve, how much the race of human kind was degenerated among us within these hundred years paft. How the pox, under all its confequences and denominations, had altered every lineament of an English countenance; fhortened the fize of bodies, unbraced the nerves, relaxed the finews and mufcles, introduced a fallow complexion, and rendered the flesh loofe and ran

cid.

I defcended fo low as to defire, that fome Englifh yeomen of the old ftamp might be fummoned to appear; once fo famous for the fimplicity of their manners, diet, and drefs; for juftice in their dealings; for their true spirit of liberty; for their valour and love of their country. Neither could I be wholly unmoved, after comparing the living with the dead, when I confidered how all thofe pure native virtues were proftituted for a piece of money by their grand-children, who, in felling their votes, and managing at elections, have acquires every vice and corruption that can poffibly be learned

in a court.

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CHAP.