LETTER · CVIII.

FROM THE SAME.

ONE of the principal tasks I had proposed to my-. felf on my arrival here, was to become acquainted with the names and characters of thofe now living, who as fcholars or wits, had acquired the greatest fhare of reputation. In order to fucceed in this defign, I fancied the fureft method would be to begin my enquiry among the ignorant, judging that his fame would be greateft, which was loud enough to be heard by the vulgar. Thus predifpofed I began the fearch, but only went in queft of disappointment and perplexity. I found every diftrict had a peculiar famous man of its own. Here the ftory-telling fhoemaker had engroffed the admiration on fide of the ftreet, while the bellman, who excelleth at a catch, was in quiet poffeffion of the other. At one end of a lane the fexton was regarded as the greatest man alive, but I had not travelled half its length, till I found an enthufiaft teacher had divided his reputation. My landlady perceiving my. defign, was kind enough ro offer me her advice in this affair. It was true, fhe obferved, that fhe was no judge, but she knew what pleafed herself, and if I would reft upon her judgment, I fhould fet down Tom Collins as the most ingenious man in the world, for Tom was able to take off all mankind, and imitate befides a fow and pigs to perfection.

I now perceived, that taking my ftandard of reputation among the vulgar, would fwell my catalogue of great names above the fize of a Court Ca

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lendar; I therefore difcontinued this method of purfuit, and refolved to profecute my enquiry in that ufual refidence of fame, a bookfeller's fhop. In confequence of this I entreated the bookfeller to let me know who were they who now made the greateft figure either in morals, wit, or learning. Without giving me a direct anfwer, he pulled a pamphlet from the fhelf, The Young Attorney's Guide ; there, Sir, cries he, there is a touch for you, fifteen hundred of these moved off in a day: I take the author of this pamphlet either for title, preface, plan, body, or index to be the completeft hand in England. I found it was vain to profecute my enquiry, where my informer appeared fo incompetent a judge of merit, fo paying for the Young Attorney's Guide, which good manners obliged me to buy, I walked off.

My purfuit after famous men now brought me into a print fhop. Here, thought I, the painter only reflects the public voice. As every man who deserved it had formerly his ftatue placed up in the Roman forum, fo here probably the pictures of none but fuch as merit a place in our affections are held up for public fale. But guefs my furprize when I came to examine this depofitary of noted faces; all distinctions were levelled here, as in the grave, and I could not but regard it as the catacomb of real merit. The brick-duft-man took up as much room as the truncheoned hero, and the judge was elbowed by the thief-taker; quacks, pimps, and buffoons increafed the group, and noted ftallions only made room for more noted whores. I had read the works of fome of the moderns previously to my coming to England with delight and approbation, but I found their faces had no place here, the walls were covered with the names of authors I had never known, or had endeavoured to

forget with the little felf-advertising things of a day who had forced themselves into fashion, but not into fame; I could read at the bottom of some pictures the names of **, and ***, and **** all equally canditates for the vulgar fhout, and foremoft to propagate their unblufhing faces upon brass. My uneafinefs therefore at not finding my few favourite names among the number was now changed into congratulation; I could not avoid reflecting on the fine obfervation of Tacitus on a fimilar occafion. In this cavalcade of flattery, cries the hiftorian, neither the pictures of Brutus, Caffius, nor Cato were to be feen, eo clariores quia imagines eorum non deferebantur, their abfence being the strongest proof of their merit.

It is in vain, cried I, to feek for true greatness among these monuments of the unburied dead; let me go among the tombs of those who are confeffedly famous, and fee if any have been lately depofited there, who deferve the attention of pofterity, and whofe names may be tranfmitted to my diftant friend, as an honour to the prefent age. Determined in my purfuit, I paid a fecond vifit to Westminster Abbey. There I found feveral new monuments erected to the memory of feveral great men; the names of the great men I abfolutely forget, but I well remember that Roubillac was the ftatuary who carved them. I could not help fmiling at two modern epitaphs in particular; one of which praised the deceafed for being ortus ex antiquá ftirpe; the other commended the dead, becaufe hanc ædem fuis fumptibus reædificavit: the greatest merit of one confifted in his being defcended from an illuftrious houfe; the chief diftinction of the other that he had propped up an old houfe that was falling. Alas! alas! cried I, fuch monuments as thefe con

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fer honour, not upon the Roubillac.

great men, but upon little

Hitherto difappointed in my enquiry after the great of the prefent age, I was refolved to mix in company, and try what I could learn among critics in coffee-houses; and here it was that I heard myTM favourite names talked of even with inverted fame. A gentleman of exalted merit as a writer was branded in general terms as a bad man; another of exquifite delicacy as a poet was reproached for wanting good-nature; a third was accused of freethinking; and a fourth of having once been a player. Strange, cried I, how unjuft are mankind in the diftribution of fame; the ignorant among whom I fought at first were willing to grant, but incapable of diftinguishing the virtues of those who deferved it; among thofe I now converfe with, they know the proper objects of admiration, but mix envy with applause,

Difappointed fo often, I was now refolved to examine thofe characters in perfon of whom the world talked fo freely; by converfing with men of real merit, I began to find out thofe characters which really deferved, though they ftrove to avoid, applaufe. I found the vulgar admiration entirely mifplaced, and malevolence without its fting. The truly great, poffeffed of numerous fmall faults and fhining virtues preferve a fublime in morals as in writing. They who have attained an excellence in either commit numberlefs tranfgreffions, obfervable to the meaneft understanding. The ignorant critic and dull remarker can readily fpy blemishes in eloquence or morals, whofe fentiments are not sufficiently elevated to obferve a beauty; but fuch are judges neither of books nor of life; they can diminifh no folid reputation by their cenfure, nor beftow a lafting character by their applause: in fhort, I found

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I found by my fearch, that fuch only can confer real fame upon others, who have merit themselves to deserve it. Adieu.

THERE are numberless employments in the courts of the Eaftern monarchs utterly unpractifed and unknown in Europe. They have no fuch officers, for inftance, as the emperor's ear-tickler, or tooth-picker; they have never introduced at the courts the mandarine appointed to bear the royal tobacco-box, or the grave director of the imperial exercitations in the feraglio. Yet I am furprized that the English have imitated us in none of these particulars, as they are generally pleased with every thing that comes from China, and exceffively fond of creating new and ufelefs employments. They have filled their houfes with our furniture, their public gardens with our fire-works, and their very ponds with our fish; our courtiers, my friend, are the fish and the furniture they fhould have imported; our courtiers would fill up the neceflary ceremonies of a court better than thofe of Europe, would be contented with receiving large falaries for doing little, whereas fome of this country are at prefent discontented though they receive large falaries for doing nothing.

I lately therefore had thoughts of publishing a propofal here, for the admiffion of fome new Eaftern offices and titles into their court register.

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