familiar with diftrefs. As yet dazzled with the "fplendour of that fun to which you have reftored me, I have been wandering the ftreets to find "fome friend that would affift, or relieve, or remember me; but my friends, my family, and re"lations are all dead, and I am forgotten. Permit 66 me then, O Chinvang, to wear out the wretched "remains of life in my former prifon; the walls of my dungeon are to me more pleafing than the "moft fplendid palace; I have not long to live, and fhall be unhappy except I fpend the reft of my "days where my youth was paffed; in that prifon * from which you were pleafed to releafe me." 66 The old man's paffion for confinement is fimilar to that we all have for life. We are habituated to the prison, we look round with discontent, are displeased with the abode, and yet the length of our captivity only increafes our fondnefs for the cell. The trees we have planted, the houses we have built, or the pofterity we have begotten, all ferve to bind us clofer to earth, and embitter our parting. Life fues the young like a new acquaintance; the companion as yet unexhaufted, is at once inftructive and amufing, it is company pleafes, yet for all this it is but little regarded. To us, who are declined in years, life appears like an old friend; its jefts have been anticipated in former converfation; it has no new ftory to make us fmile, no new improvement with which to furprize, yet ftill we love it; deftitute of every enjoyment ftill we love it: hufband the wafting treafure with increafed frugality, and feel all the poignancy of anguifh in the fatal feparation. Sir Philip Mordaunt was young, beautiful, fincere, brave, an Englishman. He had a complete fortune of his own, and the love of the king his mafter, which was equivalent to riches. Life opened all her treafure before him, and promiled a long fuc U 3 66 fucceffion of future happiness. He came, tafted of the entertainment, but was difgufted even in the beginning. He profeffed an averfion to living, was tired of walking round the fame circle; had tried every enjoyment, and found them all grow weaker at every repetition. If life be in youth fo displeasing," cried he to himfelf," what will it appear "when age comes on; if it be at prefent indifferent, "fure it will then be execrable." This thought imbittered every reflection; till, at laft, with all the ferenity of perverted reafon, he ended the debate with a piftol! Had this felf-deluded man been apprized, that existence grows more defirable to us the longer we exift, he would have then faced old age without fhrinking, he would have boldly dared to live, and ferved that fociety, by his future affiduity, which he bafely injured by his desertion. Adieu. From Lien Chi Altangi, to Fum Hoam, first prefident of the Ceremonial Academy at Pekin, in China. IN reading the news-papers here, I have reckoned up not lefs than twenty-five great men, feventeen very great men, and nine very extraordinary men in lefs than the compafs of half a year. Thefe, fay the gazettes, are the men that pofterity are to gaze at with admiration; thefe the names that fame will be employed in holding up for the aftonishment of fucceeding ages. Let me fee forty-fix great men in half half a year, amount juft to ninety-two in a year.I wonder how pofterity will be able to remember them all, or whether the people, in future times, will have any other business to mind, but that of getting the catalogue by heart. Does the mayor of a corporation make a speech? he is inftantly fet down for a great man. Does a pedant digeft his common place-book into a folio? he quickly becomes great. Does a poet ftring up trite fentiments in rhyme? he alfo becomes the great man of the hour. How diminutive foever the object of admiration, each is followed by a crowd of ftill more diminutive admirers. The fhout begins in his train, onward he marches toward immortality, looks back at the pursuing crowd with felf-fatisfaction; catching all the oddities, the whimfies, the abfurdities, and the littleneffes of confcious greatnefs, by the way. I was yesterday invited by a gentleman to dinner, who promised that our entertainment should confift of an haunch of venifon, a turtle, and a great man, I came according to appointment. The venifon was fine, the turtle good, but the great man infupportable. The moment I ventured to fpeak, I was at once contradicted with a fnap. I attempted, by a fecond and a third affault, to retrieve my loft reputation, but was ftill beat back with confufion. I was refolved to attack him once more from entrench ment, and turned the converfation upon the government of China: but even here he afferted, fnapped, and contradicted as before. Heavens, thought I, this man pretends to know China even better than myself! I looked round to fee who was on my fide, but every eye was fixed in admiration on the great man; I therefore at last thought proper to fit filent, and act the pretty gentleman during the enfuing converfation. When U 4 When a man has once fecured a circle of admirers, he may be as ridiculous here as he thinks proper; and it all paffes for elevation of fentiment, or learned abfence. If he tranfgreffes the common forms of breeding, miftakes even a tea-pot for a tobacco-box, it is faid, that his thoughts are fixed on more important objects: to speak and act like the reft of mankind is to be no greater than they. There is fomething of oddity in the very idea of greatnefs; for we are feldom aftonifhed at a thing very much refembling ourselves. When the Tartars make a Lama, their firft care is to place him in a dark corner of the temple; here he is to fit half concealed from view, to regulate the motion of his hands, lips, and eyes; but, above all, he is enjoined gravity and filence. This, however, is but the prelude to his apotheofis; a fet of emiffaries are difpatched among the people to cry up his piety, gravity, and love of raw flesh; the people take them at their word, approach the Lama, now become an idol, with the most humble proftration; he receives their addreffes without motion, commences a god, and is ever after fed by his priests with the fpoon of immortality. The fame receipt in this country ferves to make a great man. The idol only keeps clofe, fends out his little emiffaries to be hearty in his praife; and ftraight whether ftatefman or author, he is fet down in the lift of fame, continuing to be praifed while it is fashionable to praise, or while he prudently keeps his minutenefs concealed from the publick. I have vifited many countries, and have been in cities without number, yet never did I enter a town which could not produce ten or twelve of thofe little great men; all fancying themfelves known to the left. of the world, and complimenting each other upon their extensive reputation. It is amusing enough when a when two of those domeftic prodigies of learning mount the ftage of ceremony, and give and take praife from each other. I have been prefent when a German doctor, for having pronounced a panegyric upon a certain monk, was thought the moft ingenious man in the world; till the monk foon after divided this reputation by returning the compliment; by which means they both marched off with univerfal applause. The fame degree of undeferved adulation that attends our great men while living, often alfo follows him to the tomb. It frequently happens that one of his little admirers fits down big with the important subject, and is delivered of the hiftory of his life and writings. This may properly be called the revolutions of a life between the firefide and the eafy-chair, In this we learn, the year in which he was born, at what an early age he gave fymptoms of uncommon genius and application, together with fome of his fmart fayings, collected by his aunt and mother, while yet but a boy. The next book introduces him to the univerfity, where we are informed of his amazing progrefs in learning, his excellent fkill in darning ftockings, and his new invention for ing books to fave the covers. He next makes his appearance in the republic of letters, and publishes his folio. Now the coloffus is reared, his works are eagerly bought up by all the purchafers of fcarce books. The learned focieties invite him to become a member; he difputes against fome foreigner with a long Latin name, conquers in the controverfy, is complimented by feveral authors of gravity and importance, is exceffively fond of egg-fauce with his pig, becomes prefident of a literary club, and dies in the meridian of his glory. Happy they, who thus have fome little faithful attendant, who never forfakes them, but prepares to wrangle and to praise paper againft |