obferving the prince more calm, he entreated to know how he had incurred his difpleafure, or what he had done to have merited a blow. A blow, replied Charles, I don't remember any thing of it; I remember, indeed, that I thought myself in the battle of Arbela, fighting for Darius, where I gave Alexander a blow, which brought him to the ground.

per

What great effects might not thefe two qualities of courage and conftancy have produced, had they at first received a juft direction. Charles, with proper inftructions, thus naturally difpofed, would have been the delight and the glory of his age. Happy thofe princes, who are educated by men who are at once virtuous and wife, and have been for fome time in the fchool of affliction; who weigh happiness against glory, and teach their royal pupils the real value of fame; who are ever fhewing the fuperior dignity of man to that of royalty; that a peasant who does his duty is a nobler character than a king of even middling reputation. Happy, I fay, were princes, could fuch men be found to inftruct them; but thofe to whom fuch an education is generally intrufted, are men who themfelves have acted in a fphere too high to know mankind. Puffed up themfelves with the ideas of falfe grandeur, and measuring merit by adventitious circumftances of greatnefs, they generally communicate thofe fatal prejudices to their pupils, confirm their pride by adulation, or encrease their ignorance by teaching them to defpife that wisdom which is found among the

poor.

But not to moralize when I only intend a ftory; what is related of the journeys of this prince is no lefs aftonishing. He has fometimes been on horfeback for four and twenty hours fucceffively, and thus traversed the greateft part of his kingdom.

At

laft

laft none of his officers were found capable of following him; he thus confequently rode the greatest part of his journeys quite alone, without taking a moment's repofe, and without any other fubfiftence but a bit of bread. In one of thefe rapid courfes he underwent an adventure fingular enough. Riding thus poft one day, all alone, he had the misfortune to have his horfe fall dead under him. This might have embarraffed an ordinary man, but it gave Charles no fort of uneafinefs. Sure of finding another horse, but not equally fo of meeting with a good faddle and piftols, he ungirds his horfe, claps the whole equipage on his own back, and thus accoutred marches on to the next inn, which by good fortune was not far off. Entering the ftable, he here found an horfe entirely to his mind; fo, without further ceremony, he clapped on his faddle and houfing with great compofure, and was just going to mount, when the gentleman, who owned the horfe, was apprized of a ftranger's going to fteal his property out of the ftable. Upon afking the king, whom he had never feen, bluntly, how he prefumed to meddle with his horfe, Charles coolly replied, fqueezing in his lips, which was his ufual custom, that he took the horse because he wanted one; for you fee, continued he, if I have none, I shall be obliged to carry the faddle myself. This anfwer did not feem at all fatisfactory to the gentleman, who inftantly drew his fword. In this the king was not much behind hand with him, and to it they were going, when the guards by this time came up, and teftified that furprize which was natural to fee arms in the hand of a fubject against his king. Imagine whether the gentleman was lefs furprised than they at his unpremeditated disobedience. His aftonishment, however, was foon diffipated by the king, who taking him by the hand, affured him he was a brave fellow, and himfelf

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 crofs-purposes the highest ftretch of human wit, and questions and commands the most rational amufement for fpending 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 difpofed, every thing becomes a subject of entertainment, and diftrefs will almost 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 wretchedness, 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 study 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 themselves or others, can bring no new affliction; the whole world is to them a theatre, on which comedies only are acted. All the bustle of heroifm, or the rants of ambition, ferve only to heighten the abfurdity of the fcene, 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 close prifoner in the caftle of Valenciennes, he never attempted to fupport his diftrefs by wildom 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 idiotifm; 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 happiest filly fel lows I ever knew. He was of the number of those good natured creatures that are faid to do no harm to any but themfelves. Whenever Dick fell into

any