meet a thousand princes who have difgraced humanity.

LETTER XLII.

From Lien Chi Altangi, to Fum Hoam, first prefident of the Ceremonial Academy at Pekin, in China.

WE have juft received accounts here, that Voltaire the poet and philofopher of Europe is dead! He is now beyond the reach of the thousand enemies, who, while living, degraded his writings, and branded his character. Scarcely a page of his latter productions, that does not betray the agonies of an heart bleeding under the fcourge of unmerited reproach. Happy, therefore, at laft in efcaping from calumny, happy in leaving a world that was unworthy of him and his writings.

Let others, my friend, beftrew the hearfes of the great with panegyrick; but fuch a lofs as the world has now fuffered affects me with ftronger emotions. When a philofopher dies, I confider myself as lofing a patron, an inftructor, and a friend. I confider the world lofing one who might ferve to confole her amidst the defolations of war and ambition. Nature every day produces in abundance men capable of filling all the requifite duties of authority; but the is nigard in the birth of an exalted mind, fcarcely producing in a century a fingle genius to blefs and enlighten a degenerate age. Prodigal in the production of kings, governors, mandarines, chams, and courtiers, the feems to have forgotten for more than three thousand years, the manner in which fhe once formed the brain of a Confucius; and well it is fhe

has forgotten, when a bad world gave him fo very bad a reception.

Whence, my friend, this malevolence which has ever purfued the great even to the tomb; whence this more than fiend-like difpofition of embittering the lives of thofe who would make us more wife and more happy?

When I caft my eye over the fates of feveral philofophers, who have at different periods enlightened mankind, I muft confefs it infpires me with the most degrading reflections on humanity. When I read of the ftripes of Mentius, the tortures of Tchin, the bowl of Socrates, and the bath of Seneca ; when I hear of the perfecutions of Dante, the imprifonment of Galileo, the indignities fuffered by Montaigne, the banishment of Cartefius, the infamy of Bacon; and that even Locke himself escaped not without reproach; when I think on fuch fubjects, I hefitate whether moft to blame the ignorance or the villany of my fellow creatures.

Should you look for the character of Voltaire among the journalists and illiterate writers of the age, you will there find him characterized as a monfter, with a head turned to wifdom, and an heart inclining to vice; the powers of his mind and the bafeness of his principles forming a deteftable contraft. But feek for his character among writers like himself, and you find him very differently defcribed. You perceive him in their accounts poffeffed of good-nature, humanity, greatnefs of foul, fortitude, and almoft every virtue: in this defcription those who might be fuppofed beft quainted with his character are unanimous. The royal Pruffian*, Dargents, Diderot, d'Alambert, and Fontenelle confpire in drawing the

Philofophe fans fouci, + Let. Chin.

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Encycloped.

picture,

picture, in defcribing the friend of man and the patron of every rifing genius.

An inflexible perfeverance in what he thought was right, and a generous deteftation of nattery formed the ground-work of this great man's character. From these principles many ftrong virtues and few faults arofe; as he was warm in his friendship, and fevere in refentment, all that mention him seem poffeffed of the fame qualities, and fpeak of him with rapture or deteftation. A perion of his eminence can have few indifferent as to his character; every reader must be an enemy or an admirer.

This poet began the courfe of glory fo early as the age of eighteen, and even then was author of a tragedy which deferves applaufe; poffeffed of a fmall patrimony he preferved his independence in an age of venality, and fupported the dignity of learning, by teaching his contemporary writers to live like him, above the favours of the great. He was ba

nished his native country for a fatire upon the royal

concubine. He had accepted the place of hiftorian to the French king, but refufed to keep it, when he found it was prefented only in order that he fhould be the firft flatterer of the state.

The great Pruffian received him as an ornament to his kingdom, and had fente enough to value his friendship, and profit by his inftructions. In this court he continued till an intrigue, with which the world seems hitherto unacquainted, obliged him to quit that country. His own happiness, the happiness of the monarch, of his fifter, of a part of the court, rendered his departure neceffary.

Tired at length of courts, and all the follies of the great, he retired to Switzerland, a country of liberty, where he enjoyed tranquillity and the mufe. Here, though without any tafte for magnificence: himself, he ufually entertained at his table the learned

M 3

learned and polite of Europe, who were attracted by a defire of seeing a person from whom they had received fo much fatisfaction. The entertainment was conducted with the utmost elegance, and the converfation was that of philofophers. Every country that at once united liberty and fcience, was his peculiar favourite. The being an Englishman was to him a character that claimed admiration and respect.

Between Voltaire and the difciples of Confucius, there are many differences; however, being of a different opinion does not in the leaft diminish my efteem; I am not difpleafed with my brother, because he happens to afk our father for favours in a different manner from me. Let his errors reft in peace, his excellencies deferve admiration; let me with the wife admire his wifdom; let the envious and the ignorant ridicule his foibles; the folly of others is ever moft ridiculous to those who are themselves moft foolish. Adieu,

From Lien Chi Altangi to Hingpo, a flave in Perfia.

IT is impoffible to form a philofophic system of hap pinefs which is adapted to every condition in life, fince every person who travels in this great purfuit takes a feparate road. The differing colours which fuit different complexions, are not more various than the different plafures appropriated to different minds. The various fects who have pretended to give leffons to inftruct me in happiness, have defcribed their own

particular

particular fenfations without confidering ours, have only loaded their difciples with constraint, without adding to their real felicity.

If I find pleasure in dancing, how ridiculous would it be in me to prescribe fuch an amusement for the entertainment of a cripple: fhould he, on the other hand, place his chief delight in painting, yet would he be abfurd in recommending the fame relish to one who had loft the power of diftinguishing colours. General directions are, therefore, commonly useless: and to be particular would exhaust volumes, fince each individual may require a particular fyitem of precepts to direct his choice.

Every mind feems capable of entertaining a certain quantity of happiness, which no inftitutions can increase, no circumstances alter, and entirely independent on fortune. Let any man compare his prefent fortune with the paft, and he will probably find himself, upon the whole, neither better nor worfe than formerly.

Gratified ambition, or irreparable calamity may produce tranfient fenfations of pleasure or diftrefs. Thofe ftorms may difcompofe in proportion as they are ftrong, or the mind is pliant to their impreffion. But the foul, though at firft lifted up by the event, is every day operated upon with diminished influence; and at length fubfides into the level of its ufual tranquillity. Should fome unexpected turn of fortune take thee from fetters, and place thee on a throne, exultation would be natural upon the change; but the temper, like the face, would foon refume its native ferenity.

Every with therefore which leads us to expect happiness fomewhere elfe but where we are, every inftitution which teaches us that we fhould be better, by being poffeffed of fomething new, which promifes to lift us a ftep higher than we are, only lays a foundation for uneafinefs, because it con