himself would take care he fhould be provided for, This promife was afterwards fulfilled; and I have been affured the king made him a captain.

HAPPINESS,

IN A GREAT MEASURE,

DEPENDENT ON CONSTITUTION.

WHEN I reflect on the unambitious retirement in which I paffed the earlier part of my life in the country, I cannot avoid feeling fome pain in thinking that those happy days are never to return. In that retreat all Nature feemed capable of affording pleafure; I then made no refinements on happiness, but could be pleased with the most aukward efforts of ruftic mirth; thought cross-purposes the highest ftretch of human wit, and questions and commands the most rational amusement for spending the evening. Happy could fo charming an illufion ftill continue. I find age and knowledge only contribute to four our difpofitions. My prefent enjoyments may be more refined, but they are infinitely lefs pleafing. The pleasure Garrick gives can no way compare to that I have received from a country wag, who imitated a Quaker's fermon. The mufic of Matei is diffonance to what I felt when our old dairy-maid fung me into tears with Johnny Armstrong's Laft Good Night, or the Cruelty of Barbara Allen.

Writers of every age have endeavoured to fhew that pleasure is in us, and not in the objects offered for our amusement. If the foul be happily disposed, every thing becomes a fubject of entertainment, and diftrefs will almoft want a name. Every occurrence

paffes

paffes in review like the figures of a proceffion; fome may be aukward, others ill-dreffed; but none but a fool is for this enraged with the mafter of the ceremonies.

I remember to have once feen a flave in a fortification in Flanders, who appeared no way touched with his fituation. He was maimed, deformed, and chained; obliged to toil from the appearance of day 'till night-fall, and condemned to this for life; yet, with all thefe circumftances of apparent wretchednefs, he fung, would have danced, but that he wanted a leg, and appeared the merrieft, happiest man of all the garrifon. What a practical philofopher was here; an happy conftitution fupplied philofophy, and though feemingly deftitute of wisdom, he was really wife. No reading or ftudy had contributed to difenchant the fairy land around him. Every thing furnished him with an opportunity of mirth; and though fome thought him from his infenfibility a fool, he was fuch an idiot as philofophers might with in vain to imitate.

They, who like him can place themselves on that fide of the world, in which every thing appears in a ridiculous or pleafing light, will find fomething in every occurrence to excite their good humour. The moft calamitous events, either to themfelves or others, can bring no new affliction; the whole world is to them a theatre, on which comedies only are acted. All the buftle of heroifm, or the rants of ambition, ferve only to heighten the abfurdity of the scene, and make the humour more poignant. They feel, in fhort, as little anguish at their own diftrefs, or the complaints of others, as the undertaker, though dreffed in black, feels forrow at a funeral.

Of all the men I ever read of, the famous Cardinal De Retz poffeffed this happiness of temper in the highest degree. As he was a man of gallantry, and

defpifed

despised all that wore the pedantic appearance of philofophy, wherever pleasure was to be fold, he was generally foremost to raise the auction. Being an univerfal admirer of the fair fex, when he found one lady cruel, he generally fell in love with another, from whom he expected a more favourable reception if the too rejected his addreffes, he never thought of retiring into defarts, or pining in hopelefs diftrefs. He perfuaded himself, that inftead of loving the lady, he only fancied he had loved her, and fo all was well again. When fortune wore her angrieft look, when he at laft fell into the power of his moft deadly enemy Cardinal Mazarine, and was confined a clofe prifoner in the caftle of Valenciennes, he never attempted to fupport his distress by wisdom or philofophy, for he pretended to neither. He laughed at himfelf and his perfecutor, and feemed infinitely pleafed at his new fituation. In this manfion of diftrefs, though fecluded from his friends, though denied all the amufements, and even the conveniencies of life, teized every hour by the impertinence of wretches who were employed to guard him, he ftill retained his good humour, laughed at all their little fpite, and carried the jeft fo far as to be revenged, by writing the life of his gaoler.

All that philofophy can teach, is to be stubborn or fullen under misfortunes. The Cardinal's example will inftruct us to be merry in circumftances of the highest affliction. It matters not whether our good humour be conftrued by others into infenfibility, or even idiotism; it is happiness to ourselves, and none but a fool would measure his fatisfaction by what the world thinks of it.

Dick Wildgoofe was one of the happieft filly fellows I ever knew. He was of the number of thofe good natured creatures that are faid to do no harm to any but themfelves. Whenever Dick fell into

any

any mifery, he ufually called it seeing life. If his head was broke by a chairman, or his pocket picked by a fharper, he comforted himself by imitating the Hibernian dialect of the one, or the more fashionable cant of the other. Nothing came amifs to Dick. His inattention to money matters had incensed his father to fuch a degree, that all the interceffion of friends in his favour was fruitlefs. The old gentleman was on his death-bed. The whole family, and Dick among the number, gathered round him. I leave my fecond fon Andrew, faid the expiring mifer, my whole eftate, and defire him to be frugal. Andrew, in a forrowful tone, as is ufual on thefe occafions, "Prayed heaven to prolong his life and "health to enjoy it himself." I recommend Simon, my third fon, to the care of his elder brother, and leave him befide four thousand pounds. Ah! father, cried Simon, (in great affliction to be fure) "May heaven give you life and health to enjoy it

yourfelf!" At laft, turning to poor Dick; as for you, you have always been a fad dog, you'll never come to good, you'll never be rich, I'll leave you a fhilling to buy an halter. Ah! father, cries Dick, without any emotion, "May heaven give

you life and health to enjoy it yourself!" This was all the trouble the lofs of fortune gave this thoughtless imprudent creature. However, the tenderness of an uncle recompenced the neglect of a father; and Dick is not only exceffively good-humoured, but competently rich.

The world, in fhort, may cry out at a bankrupt who appears at a ball; at an author who laughs at the public which pronounces him a dunce; at a general who fimiles at the reproach of the vulgar, or the lady who keeps her good-humour in fpite of fcandal; but fuch is the wifeft behaviour they can poffibly affume; it is certainly a better way to oppofe calamity by diffi

pation,

pation, than to take up the arms of reafon or refo lution to oppose it: by the first method we forget our miferies, by the laft we only conceal them from others; by ftruggling with misfortunes, we are fure to receive fome wounds in the conflict. The only method to come off victorious, is by running away.

ON OUR THEATRES.

MADEMOISELLE CLAIRON, a celebrated actress at Paris, feems to me the most perfect female figure I have ever feen upon any stage. Not, perhaps, that Nature has been more liberal of perfonal beauty to her, than fome to be seen upon our theatres at home. There are actreffes here who have as much of what connoiffeurs call ftatuary grace, by which is meant elegance unconnected with motion, as fhe; but they all fall infinitely fhort of her, when the foul comes to give expreffion to the limbs, and animates every feature.

Her first appearance is exceffively engaging; fhe never comes in ftaring round upon the company, as if the intended to count the benefits of the house, or at leaft to fee, as well as be feen. Her eyes are always, at first, intently fixed upon the perfons of the drama, and the lifts them by degrees, with enchanting diffidence, upon the fpectators. Her firft fpeech, or at least the first part of it, is delivered with fcarcely any motion of the arm; her hands and her tongue never fet out together; but the one prepares us for the other. She fometimes begins with a mute eloquent attitude; but never goes forward all at once with hands, eyes, head, and voice. This obfervation, though it may appear of no importance, should certainly

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